Community Blog

The call for margin

The world of finance relies heavily on derivatives transactions. Following the financial crisis of 2008, world leaders agreed that over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives needed more transparency and better tools to mitigate risk. This led to new regulations forcing market participants to exchange collateral. A key component of this is the requirement for Initial Margin (IM). Managing these complex transactions and regulatory requirements efficiently is where the Common Domain Model (CDM) comes in.

I'm Karl Moll, a Technical Project Advocate at FINOS, and I recently had the valuable opportunity to attend the SEC Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence in the Financial Industry in Washington D.C. This standout event brought together a diverse group of experts to tackle the complexities at the intersection of AI, finance, regulatory compliance, and governance. I’m excited to share how FINOS’s role in these vital discussions has developed — including our work on a pioneering AI Governance Framework.

Watch an engaging session in the Open Source in Finance Webinar Series, where experts from turntabl dive into open source contribution compliance and developer contributions focusing on their new product Woodchip which is built on GitProxy.

Learn how FDC3 enables seamless communication between financial applications — and see it in action with our FDC3 Sail demo! In this video, we cover the fundamentals of FDC3 and show how FDC3 Sail can help you explore intents, broadcasting, and the app directory firsthand.

In this episode of the FINOS podcast, join Grizz Griswold and Rob Moffat from FINOS as they discuss the latest updates in FDC3, a versatile interoperability standard originally designed for financial services but applicable universally. Learn about the evolution of FDC3 version 2.2, the newly released SAIL 2.0 tool, and the upcoming Open Source in Finance Forum in London. Discover the significance of open standards, vendor collaboration, and identity security in the realm of financial technology. Whether you are a developer or a finance professional, this episode offers valuable insights into the ever-evolving landscape of open source in finance.

Do you legally own the securities in your custody account? Yes, it’s recorded against your name on your monthly statement. But do you really own them? As the financial industry explores tokenisation as a new model for recording and transferring ownership, this question is more relevant than ever.

While the promise of direct, on-chain ownership is compelling, it forces us to revisit what ownership really means — legally and operationally — in today’s complex financial systems.

FINOS TOC UPDATE

3 April 2025

Welcome to the April newsletter from the FINOS TOC! This month we have several project updates, and a short message from the TOC.

Did you know that members of the Technical Oversight Committee work to connect projects with the rest of the ecosystem, such as marketing support, technical innovations, and cross-project alignment? If you’re a maintainer who hasn’t yet connected with a liaison, reach out to toc@lists.finos.org!

In today’s innovation-driven economy, open source software has become a powerhouse for collaboration, rapid development, and cost-effective solutions. At the same time, patents—often seen as tools of exclusivity and protection—play a crucial, if sometimes underappreciated, role in safeguarding these projects. When managed strategically, patents not only protect innovations but also enhance the credibility and financial viability of open source initiatives. This article explores the intersection of patents and open source projects, with a particular emphasis on their importance in the financial sector.