Traditionally, the first day of our annual conference is devoted primarily to regulatory and technical matters, including a review of the work that ISLA has been doing for it’s members in the past 12 months. This year is no different, although we have added some different perspectives around these important core areas that will put much of what happens over the following two days in better perspective.

Following the view from Brussels provided by Donald Ricketts, Managing Director at FleishmanHillard, we are delighted to welcome back Habib Motani, Partner at Clifford Chance and Steve Raddon, Tax Manager, Securities Finance Division at BNY Mellon who will take the audience through the key elements of the legal and tax agendas around our markets, reflecting on, amongst other things, the recent launch of our pledge collateral master agreement.

Then, following detailed updates from ISLA's Adrian Dale, Director of Regulation and Policy and James Montgomerie, Executive Director, EMEA Head of Securities Lending Operations at Morgan Stanley of the recent work undertaken by our various SFTR and CSDR work groups and streams, the final panel of the day will look at how these, alongside other regulatory imperatives, will converge in 2020.

Moderated by Andrew Dyson, CEO of ISLA and with panelists Ina Budh-Raja, Director, Product & Strategy, Securities Finance at BNY Mellon, Vincent Dessard, Senior Policy Advisor at EFAMA and Marije Verhelst from Euroclear, the group will discuss the many implications on the industry and broader markets.

Steven Maijoor has been the Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) since taking up office 1 April 2011. He is the first chair of the authority and is currently serving his second five-year term. He is responsible for representing the Authority as well as chairing ESMA’s Board of Supervisors and the Management Board. The role of the Board of Supervisors is to give strategic guidance to ESMA and make all main regulatory and supervisory decisions. The Management Board's purpose is to ensure that the Authority carries out its mission and performs its tasks.