What’s the future of negative interest rates? How are green investment strategies impacting Nordic investor behaviour? What impact will SRD II have on Nordic financial institutions? All of these questions have two things in common. One, they all impact the work we do every day. And two, they are all topics covered at recent Market Advisory Group (MAG) meetings.
What’s a MAG?
The Market Advisory Group, or MAG, is a knowledge-sharing forum open to all VP Securities’ customers and stakeholders. There are two to three MAG meetings each year, where attendees can learn and get inspired about and the latest developments and trends in the pan-European CSD market, and hear about the status of VP’s initiatives and strategic projects.
According to Søren Milbregt, Senior Relationship Manager at VP, the MAG is one of many avenues VP has used to maintain an on-going dialogue with its customers. “We had a customer forum for many years,” he relates. “Then, when we obtained our CSDR licence in early 2018, we had to meet new requirements regarding customer communication. This gave us an opportunity to create a series of more focused forums that can address specific areas, where the MAG is the forum we use for sharing updates and knowledge about the post-trade and capital markets.”
A focus on knowledge sharing and market insight
The first MAG meeting was held on 27 September 2018. Since that time, VP has held several meetings with more than 20 different presentations. As mentioned at the outset, MAG meetings cover a wide range of topics and have featured guests from the European Central Securities Depositories Association, Denmark’s National Bank (Nationalbanken), the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority and Finance Denmark, as well as many of the leading financial institutions in Scandinavia. “Our goal is to invite a broad selection of senior professionals in the financial markets who can share their knowledge and insights on a more strategic level,” Søren Milbregt says.
An opportunity to get a broader perspective
This focus on Nordic and pan-European market trends is also what many attendees appreciate about the MAG meetings. “A lot is happening in the post-trade area. There are many changes and initiatives on the way in terms of harmonisation and globalisation and the Nordic scene is changing,” comments Lasse Larsen, Head of Investor Services at SEB Denmark. “VP is an important piece in that puzzle, because they operate at the intersection between local interests and the global markets. So, these meetings are an effective communications channel VP can use to provide a status on where they stand in relation to all of this change.”
Another MAG meeting participant highlights the value of getting a wider view of the financial markets. “What I appreciate about the most recent MAG meetings, is that VP has done a good job of bringing in a broader perspective, where everything isn’t just about our narrow focus area of post-trade, but the presenters have been able to set things in a larger context that extends beyond our borders.”
Adapting to a virtual format
As is the case with many conferences and events over the past year, MAG meetings went virtual in 2020. “We were able to hold two MAG meetings last year, both of which took place virtually,” Søren Milbregt states. “While we’ve had to adjust the format of the meetings a bit to better suit the digital medium, the shift to a virtually hosted event has meant that we’ve had even more participants, and it’s made it easier for our international customers to attend.” The advantages of the digital format mean that it will likely play a role in future MAG meetings as well. “I think we’ll see a hybrid format going forward, where we give attendees the option of participating in-person or virtually.”
Save the date: 19 May 2021
The next virtual MAG meeting will take place on 19 May 2021 from 15:00 – 16:00. If you’d like to attend, just get in touch with your VP contact person. We look forward to seeing you there.
Contact
Søren Milbregt
Senior Relationship Manager
Phone: +45 4358 8824
Email: SMilbregt@euronext.com
Customer relationship is all about close dialogue and common focus on creating value for both parties
- Søren Milbregt, Senior Relationship Manager