Aquest Podcast

On this episode of the Aquest Podcast I’m joined by Adrian Mulryan, CEO of Invesco Investment Management to talk about ETFs (mostly!). We begin by reflecting on the predictions made by Adrian the last time he came on the podcast in 2018. His predictions were pretty accurate, to be fair, and he wasn’t shy about reminding me either. We go on to chat about the continued growth of

It’s time to get techie on the Aquest Podcast and who better to guide us through the intersection of technology and financial services than Dáire Lawlor, MD at tech advisory firm Interwoven. We chart the growing use and integration of technology in financial services firms from the early 2000s (when tech integration was patchy at best) through the global financial crisis in 200

In this ‘Director’s Chair’ episode of the Aquest Podcast I’m joined by Syl O’Byrne who has many years’ experience as a financial services lawyer, both in private practice and industry. We begin by chatting about Syl’s pathway to becoming an INED and his observations on the current funds landscape generally. We also chat about the impact of the Individual Accountabilit

With the new EMIR REFIT (the revamp of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation) reporting requirements kicking-off on 29 April 2024, I’m joined by 2x EMIR REFIT experts to chat about what changes are being introduced and how firms are coping with implementation. Aoife Storey (Client Solutions Manager) and Gerard Gilsenan (Chief Revenue Office) of Fund Recs join me and share

In this episode of the Aquest Podcast I catch up with Ann Shiels, sustainability expert with Finlexsus. Ann appeared on the show in May 2022 and I was interested to get her take on developments in market practices and regulations on ESG in the interim. We chat about SFDR 1.5/2.0, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the regulation of ESG rating agencies and the current

Impact of T+1 Settlement As firms in the US prepare for the momentous move to T+1 settlement in May 2024, I chat with Adrian Whelan, regulatory expert, about how this change will have a broad impact outside the US. With knowledge/appreciation of what's coming pretty patchy at best, we discuss the implications for firms on everything from fx to securities lending. We also chat abou

What are payment services? From time to time, I encounter firms where part of their business model involves receiving money from clients which the firm holds and later transmits to a third party. For me, this always begs the question 'Is this a payment service?' Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. But it is often a question which the firm has not thought to ask and one which

Reducing Friction in the Payments Process When he was CEO of a communications business, Feargal Brady saw the inefficiencies in the current payments process first hand - and he vowed to do something about it! So, when he exited the communications industry, he entered the financial services world and set up payments firm - NoFrixion - whose mission is to rid the world of unnecessary

Recruiting in the Irish Financial Services Industry Like many sectors, the financial services industry is seeing great demand and competition for talent. In this episode of The Aquest Podcast, I chat with Jennifer Cahill, recruitment consultant, about what the landscape is like and how difficult it is in practice to recruit new staff. We discuss the steps that firms are taking to

MiCA and the future of Crypto Assets in EU After several years of drafting and refining, the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation has been finalised and published. This game-changing piece of legislation will have a profound impact on crypto assets - and their service providers - in the EU. I'm joined by Andrew Tzialli, crypto asset legal expert, to chat about the final version of M