General criteria

Entrants should provide evidence of performance and achievements in the year to 20 March 2025 (unless otherwise specified).

For product and service releases, the entry should refer to a solution: (i) that is live and in use by clients (ii) has been released in the 12 months to 20 March 2025

Submissions should provide details of creative strategies and solutions that are shaping best practice in the specified category. Where appropriate, please comment on technology development and application, use of service partnerships, excellence in execution, client service, relationship management, operations and risk management.

Submissions may also include reference to research, thought leadership and participation in working groups or industry collaborations that contribute to innovation and higher standards in our industry.

Entrants should provide details of new business wins and mandate retentions over the survey period.

Depending on the awards category, this may also include evidence of revenue growth, higher loan balances/utilisation and rising business maturity, which may include wider market and product coverage.

Please provide contact details of two users of the product or solution that may be contacted during the judging process.

Entries should be no more than 600 words.

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Securities Lender of the Year

This category is open to a securities lending team or company that provides a service in the geographical region specified, which may be agent and/or principal lending. What are the main contributors to performance, to delivery of risk-adjusted return? For agent lenders, how does the service provide value to end lenders? Where appropriate, comment with examples on application of technology, effective collaboration with service partners, ability to adapt to regulatory changes and to challenging market conditions. How does the entrant measure up in promoting sustainable lending?

This will apply to the following awards:
European Lender of the Year
Asian Lender of the Year
Americas Lender of the Year
Global Lender of the Year

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Borrower of the Year

This category is open to a team or company engaged in borrowing securities for internal or external clients in the geographical region specified. Entries should summarise main features of the service and how the borrower is working with lenders to deliver value. Which elements deliver exceptional performance? You may wish to comment on trading strategy, use of service partners, efficiency in balance sheet usage and efficient/innovative use of collateral, ability to negotiate testing market conditions and regulatory change.

This will apply to the following awards:
European Borrower of The Year
Asian Borrower of the Year
Americas Borrower of the Year
Global Borrower of the Year

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Repo Team of the Year

Open to a team providing repo services in the geographical region specified. Entries should summarise main features of the service and how this delivers value to its clients. Which elements deliver outperformance? You may wish to comment on trading strategy, use of service partners, efficient use of inventory and balance sheet, evolution of client base, ability to negotiate testing market conditions and regulatory change.

European Repo Team of the Year
Asian Repo Team of the Year
Americas Repo Team of the Year
Global Repo Team of The Year

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New Securities Finance Team of The Year

A category open to a securities finance team that has been established in the past three years. Entrants should explain why the team was created, main features of its service, how its business and product/service range have grown, and plans for future expansion. What makes this team stand out? And what impact is it having on the market?

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Client Services Team of The Year

The entry should highlight standout features of the client service solution and how it exceeds the competition. This may include technology, people and how the entrant is driving best practice. Where appropriate, provide examples from the survey period of how the entrant is helping clients to solve problems, to innovate, to optimise performance and standards of risk management across the lending/borrowing programme.

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Data Provider of The Year

This category is open to all providers of data services relevant to securities lending, repo and collateral management. This may include data and analytics applicable to trading, post-trade and collateral functions. The entry should highlight key features of the service and the advantages that it offers to users over other data services solutions. You may reflect on how this helps securities finance teams to make more effective, faster decisions, to meet their regulatory obligations and to measure performance and risk across their securities lending, financing and collateral management activities.

European Data Provider of The Year
Asian Data Provider of the Year
Americas Data Provider of the Year
Global Data Provider of the Year

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Operations Team of the Year

This financial operations team is at the forefront of the industry in terms of delivering operational efficiency and managing cost and risk across the operations area. This will typically include high STP and low fail rates — alongside creative approaches to managing technology evolution, regulatory projects and in handling operational stress points. Contributions should demonstrate (with examples) how this operational strength and resilience contributes to strong performance, efficiency and risk management across the securities finance team(s) that it supports.

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Regulatory Solution of the Year

The entry will highlight key features of service and why this outperforms other regulatory solutions applicable to securities finance transactions. Specify how it helps clients to meet their regulatory compliance and reporting requirements; how it helps clients to manage regulatory adaptation and to meet associated cost and time pressures.

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Collateral Solution of the Year

The entry should highlight key features of the service and why this outperforms other collateral management systems, services or solutions. Comment, where appropriate, on its ability to reduce collateral fragmentation across the enterprise, to deliver collateral optimisation while managing the scale and complexity of clients’ CM activities. How does this apply new technology and approaches to collateral movement and transformation?

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Trading system of the Year

A trading system that excels in delivering access to liquidity and price discovery in securities finance markets. Entries should highlight its key features and why its users favour this trading system over its competitors. Provide examples of how it has helped users to advance their trading strategies and deliver stronger trading performance. Reflect, if appropriate, on its ability to link efficiently to post-trade systems, margining and collateral management systems, and to support high STP rates across the trade lifecycle.

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Post-trade Technology Provider of the Year

This category is open to technology solutions that support the securities finance transaction across its post-execution lifecycle, which may include matching and reconciliation, settlement, billing, managing corporate actions and lifecycle events. Specify how this solution provides an efficient environment in which to manage post-trade risk, to handle exceptions and repairs, and to deliver high levels of post-trade efficiency (low fail rates, high STP rates), while helping to reduce post-trade costs.

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Best Partnership of the Year

A partnership between two or more organisations that has delivered service innovation, performance improvement and/or higher standards of risk management and operational efficiency to the securities finance industry.

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Innovation of the Year

A product, service or project that will change current ways of working in the securities finance industry, delivering performance improvement, efficiency and higher standards of risk management or service delivery. This solution should be released during the 12 months to 20 March 2025 and have live users or customers.

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Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year

This award recognises a group or initiative that demonstrates commitment to equality and inclusion on a sustainable basis. This will promote D&I in securities finance for the long term and is not a temporary or occasional campaign. The submission should provide examples of specific initiatives that have had a positive impact on equality and inclusion, for example in mentoring, education, recruitment, staff promotion, communications strategy, thought leadership and policy transparency.

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ESG Initiative of the Year

This award recognises a group or initiative that demonstrates commitment to sustainable securities finance transactions. It will promote the long-term improvement of the securities finance industry and is not a temporary or occasional campaign. The submission should provide examples of initiatives that have had a positive impact on sustainability and sound governance, applying ESG principles to securities lending, financing and/or collateral management functions.

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Rising Star Award (Under 30s)

This will be awarded to a dynamic, innovative individual who has joined the securities finance industry within the past 5 years and has made an outstanding impact, demonstrating great promise for the future. Please outline the entrant’s qualities and achievements, illustrating with examples how they are contributing to a better securities finance industry.

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Industry Inspiration Award

This will be awarded to an engaging, motivating and dynamic individual who has been making waves in the securities finance industry for over ten years. Having built on promise and risen through organisation/s the award recognises a leader that takes people with them, motivates others and is not only contributing to a better industry but a better world.

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Lifetime Achievement Award

This award will honour an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the securities finance industry across their career. In your submission, please highlight how the entrant has contributed to a better securities finance industry, highlighting key milestones and achievements.