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Contineo, the network serving the wealth management industry, launched I/O, a suite of data products illuminating the market for equity-linked structured products. This is the first time such a large amount of data has been collated and analyzed to provide subscribers on the network insight into their business and performance, and provide other market participants with insight into this previously opaque market.

The service is useful to private banks, investment banks, and other financial institutions such as asset managers and hedge funds as well as media outlets, financial technology providers and the general structured product industry. Subscribers can utilize the service to assist relationship managers with more product insight and create efficiencies on the trading desk, or for the investment banks, to improve pricing and increase market depth.

“The launch of I/O represents a sizeable milestone in the evolution of the structured products space, said Contineo CEO Mark Munoz. “The data analytics and insights have never been available before and we think the applications will be really varied as market participants seek to understand this previously opaque part of the financial products landscape.”

I/O is a standalone set of products that includes proprietary analysis for Contineo subscribers, and anonymized market data. Proprietary analyses include executive dashboards at individual bank and whole-of-market level, which inform subscribers about internal performance at individual, team and firm level, as well as performance relative to other firms. The system also generates specific reports on request.
“Data confidentiality is essential for us,” Munoz highlighted. “We designed I/O so each bank’s data is protected, segregated, securely stored and remains private, and the market view is entirely anonymised.”

I/O also offers a data feed for service integration and document generation, bringing efficiencies to these processes for the first time. This offering allows for banks’ operations teams to work with the data sets directly to suit their specific internal needs. Both proprietary and market overview data can be delivered directly into user’s internal systems.

“I/O is an important step for Contineo,” said Munoz. “Having built the network and seen the growth in our volume, our next step was delivering the analytics this industry so desperately needs.”

For interviews with Mark Munoz:
Kristin Westlake, The Continuum Partners kwestlake@thecontinuumpartners.com

+61 416 219 358

ABOUT CONTINEO
Contineo is the first industry supported open messaging network and community to access issuers of structured products. From best price discovery to order fulfilment, our subscribers benefit from unique data analytics through a comprehensive global network.
Contineo is proud to count the world’s leading private and investment banks as subscribers. To learn more and see a demo please visit www.contineo.link or contact info@contineo.com.hk.

The awards recognise technology companies with ‘foresight and the ability to create innovation and efficiency at private banks.’ CEO Mark Munoz said the award was a pleasing addition to the many awards Contineo had won in the five months since its launch.

“We are in the company of very established global service providers, including Microsoft, as a winner in the Technology category,” he said. “It’s significant that this category is for more than just a platform, because in our short lifetime Contineo has already evolved. We are not just the best network for our asset class, but also a data provider for unique insights into what has previously been a completely opaque market.”

Contineo went live in June as a communications hub for products including Equity Linked Notes; Knock-Out Equity Linked Notes; Accumulator; Decumulator; Fixed Coupon Notes; DRAN and OTC Options. In the five months since go-live the firm has won awards for Best Multi-Issuer Platform Asia Pacific and Outstanding Wealth Management Technology Initiative – Front End.

“Contineo is growing fast,” said Munoz. “We have received great feedback from all of our subscribers and our unique edge is that we work with them, through our Advisory Committee, to determine what’s really important to the industry and make those things a reality. Contineo was developed by the industry, for the industry, and our success is reflected in accolades such as these.”

For interviews with Mark Munoz:

Kristin Westlake, The Continuum Partners kwestlake@thecontinuumpartners.com/ +61 416 219 358

ABOUT CONTINEO

Contineo is the first industry supported, open messaging network for private banks and wealth management firms to access issuers of structured products. Together we are a community with a shared vision and purpose. We believe that technology should be intuitive, easy to access, and available to all participants. This means creating an open messaging standard in concert with the buy-side and sell-side, and enabling access to all parties, including other certified technology vendors. This mission is shared by our current subscribers, who recognise the importance of an open, efficient and transparent network.

Contineo, the industry-backed messaging network for equity-linked structured products, was awarded a Highly Commended award for Outstanding Wealth Management Technology Initiative – Front End at the Private Banker International Wealth Awards in Singapore on Friday. The awards, now in their 10th year, recognise global leaders in private wealth management. CEO Mark Munoz said the award was a welcome endorsement for the Contineo team.“These awards are based on nominations, and we are proud that the industry saw fit to nominate us.” he said. “Contineo is unique in that our network and products are designed by the industry, for the industry with our Advisory Group and subscribers driving the development agenda. Public recognition like this shows us that the industry is really on board with what we are doing.”

Contineo went live in June as a communications hub for products including Equity Linked Notes; Knock-Out Equity Linked Notes; Accumulator; Decumulator; Fixed Coupon Notes; DRAN and OTC Options. Since go-live the firm is also launching new data products to illuminate the ‘black hole of trading.’

“Contineo is developing a range of data products that will bring transparency to the structured product market for the first time.” he said. “We’ve had terrific feedback from our industry partners and look forward to bringing further insights to the industry in the near future.”

For interviews with Mark Munoz:

Kristin Westlake, The Continuum Partners kwestlake@thecontinuumpartners.com +61 416 219 358

ABOUT CONTINEO

Contineo is the first industry supported, open messaging network for private banks and wealth management firms to access issuers of structured products. Together we are a community with a shared vision and purpose. We believe that technology should be intuitive, easy to access, and available to all participants. This means creating an open messaging standard in concert with the buy-side and sell-side, and enabling access to all parties, including other certified technology vendors. This mission is shared by our current subscribers, who recognise the importance of an open, efficient and transparent network.

For interviews with Mark Munoz:

Kristin Westlake, The Continuum Partners kwestlake@thecontinuumpartners.com/ +61 416 219 358

ABOUT CONTINEO

Contineo is the first industry supported, open messaging network for private banks and wealth management firms to access issuers of structured products. Together we are a community with a shared vision and purpose. We believe that technology should be intuitive, easy to access, and available to all participants. This means creating an open messaging standard in concert with the buy-side and sell-side, and enabling access to all parties, including other certified technology vendors. This mission is shared by our current subscribers, who recognise the importance of an open, efficient and transparent network.

CEO Mark Munoz said Ms Tong would be leading Contineo’s development of new data streams and products based on the information generated by the increasing volume on the platform.

“This will be the very first time anyone has been able to quantify the landscape for equity structured products,” he said. “It’s been referred to for years as the ‘black hole of financial products. This week, that all changes.” Ms Tong’s initial work will focus on providing product distributors with useful information around liquidity, helping to inform their work in building new, efficient strategies and improve the performance for relationship managers.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to build new data products with an innovative new firm like Contineo,” she said. “The world of data science is expanding exponentially right now – it’s the perfect time to apply the science to the structured products world to create better, more efficient outcomes for everyone throughout the value chain.”

Ms Tong started her career in actuarial consulting at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Sydney. In Australia, she also worked for Quantium, providing analytics consulting to retail, insurance, banking and airline clients. She moved to Hong Kong three years ago and led the Modelling & Insights team at Asia Miles, where her team analysed customer behavior to drive better customer experiences and business outcomes. She has also worked for DemystData, a Hong Kong based startup focused on accessing alternate data sources for use in financial services. Currently, she also practises as an analytics and data science consultant, as part of Cooper Tong Consulting.

For interviews with Mark Munoz:

Kristin Westlake, The Continuum Partners kwestlake@thecontinuumpartners.com / +61 416 219 358

About Contineo Limited:

Contineo is the first industry supported, open messaging network for private banks and wealth management firms to access issuers of structured products. Together we are a community with a shared vision and purpose.

We believe that technology should be intuitive, easy to access, and available to all participants. This means creating an open messaging standard in concert with the buy-side and sell-side, and enabling access to all parties, including other certified technology vendors. This mission is shared by our current subscribers, who recognize the importance of an open, efficient and transparent network.

Contineo, whose on-boarding subscribers include Julius Baer, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, J.P. Morgan and Societe Generale, is a messaging network facilitating transactions between buy- and sell sides. Managing Director Mark Munoz said Contineo’s go-live represented a new phase in the evolution of the structured products market.

“Contineo has been developed by the industry, for the industry,” he said. “Our agnostic platform is open to all participants and, through our Advisory Group, we are bringing the industry’s key players together for the first time to develop a set of standards that will benefit us all.”

“Automation is the way to go for structured product distribution and execution in Asia,” said Roger Meier, Head of Structured Product Sales Asia at Julius Baer. “Replacing email with a multi-issuer electronic platform will allow us to access products, have an overview of the market, and retrieve data in a streamlined fashion that we just don’t have today. In the future we envisage the evolution of things like common term sheets, post-trade data and more pay-offs.”

Contineo acts as a communications hub for products including Equity Linked Notes; Knock-Out Equity Linked Notes; Accumulator; Decumulator; Fixed Coupon Notes; DRAN and OTC Options. The platform was conceived in 2014 and began beta operations earlier this year.

For interviews with Mark Munoz:
Kristin Westlake, The Continuum Partners kwestlake@thecontinuumpartners.com /+61 416 219 358

About Contineo Limited

Contineo is the first industry supported, open messaging network for private banks and wealth management firms to access issuers of structured products. Together we are a community with a shared vision and purpose.

We believe that technology should be intuitive, easy to access, and available to all participants. This means creating an open messaging standard in concert with the buy-side and sell-side, and enabling access to all parties, including other certified technology vendors.

This mission is shared by our current subscribers, who recognize the importance of an open, efficient and transparent network.

Contineo is currently finalizing preparations to go live later this month with its current subscribers. CEO Mark Muñoz said Ms Chen’s appointment was an important step in preparing the company for the swift growth journey ahead.

“Julie comes to us with strong international experience in financial technology operations, and expertise in the structured products space,” he said. “We are fortunate to have her on the team and look forward to her contribution as we prepare to go live.”

Ms Chen was most recently a senior consultant for Kurt Salmon in Paris and Hong Kong, spearheading financial technology projects for top-tier financial institutions. She has worked for BNP Paribas and consulted for a number of other institutions, including Societe Generale and Credit Agricole. Fluent in four languages, Ms Chen holds a Master of Finance degree from Tsinghua University and an Engineering degree from Ecole Superieure d’Electricite in France.

“Contineo is unique in bringing together industry leaders to build a utility platform that will benefit not only the users, but the market as a whole,” she said. “I’m excited to work at a company that has the energy of a start-up combined with the backing of some of the world’s most respected financial institutions.”

For interviews with Mark Munoz:
Kristin Westlake, The Continuum Partners kwestlake@thecontinuumpartners.com /+61 416 219 358

About Contineo Limited

Contineo is the first industry supported, open messaging network for private banks and wealth management firms to access issuers of structured products. Together we are a community with a shared vision and purpose.

We believe that technology should be intuitive, easy to access, and available to all participants. This means creating an open messaging standard in concert with the buy-side and sell-side, and enabling access to all parties, including other certified technology vendors.

This mission is shared by our current subscribers, who recognise the importance of an open, efficient and transparent network.

Contineo, the fastest growing and first industry-backed open messaging network for equity-linked structured products in Asia, announced today its newest buy-side subscriber, Bank Julius Baer, the leading Swiss private banking group.

Julius Baer will use Contineo’s web-based interface to access multiple-issuers of structured products starting in July this year in Asia. The connection is expected to help Julius Baer speed up the pricing and order process for structured products.

“We are pleased to join Contineo and to benefit from this industry backed initiative, as it aims to enhance the execution of equity-linked structured products in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Roger Meier, Head of Structured Products Sales Asia of Julius Baer .

Mark Muñoz, Contineo Managing Director commented: “We are delighted to announce that Julius Baer will become a subscriber on our network. This is a testament to our mission to bring greater efficiency to the industry and where Contineo innovates with an open standard everyone can benefit from.”

Contineo is currently registering private banks and implementing connectivity to multiple issuers, as well as working with certified technology companies who can also connect to the network. In addition to web-based interface, Contineo provides access through a set of FIX and REST application programming interfaces (APIs).

About Contineo Limited

Contineo Limited, headquartered in Hong Kong, is the first industry supported, open messaging network for private banks and wealth management firms to access issuers of structured products. The company is backed by AG Delta, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, J.P. Morgan and Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking.

For more information, visit www.contineo.link

Contacts: press@contineo.link / +852 3905 1030

About Julius Baer

Julius Baer is the leading Swiss private banking group, with a focus on servicing and advising sophisticated private clients and a premium brand in global wealth management. Julius Baer’s total client assets amounted to CHF 396 billion at the end of December 2014, including CHF 291 billion of assets under management. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd., the renowned Swiss private bank which celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2015, is the principal operating company of Julius Baer Group Ltd., whose shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: BAER) and are included in the Swiss Market Index (SMI), comprising the 20 largest and most liquid Swiss stocks.

Julius Baer employs a staff of over 5,000, including more than 1,000 relationship managers, and is present in over 25 countries and some 50 locations. Headquartered in Zurich, we have offices in key locations including Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Lugano, Monaco, Montevideo, Moscow, Singapore and Tokyo. Our client-centric approach, our objective advice based on a unique open product platform, our very strong financial base and our entrepreneurial management culture make us the international reference in private banking.

For more information visit our website at www.juliusbaer.com

Contacts: Bank Julius Baer Media Relations Hong Kong: Tel. +852 2899 4840

Contineo Limited launched today the industry’s first open messaging network, delivering greater access to equity-linked structured products for private banking and wealth management firms. Contineo has backing from: AG Delta, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, J.P. Morgan and Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking.

The funding will support the implementation and ongoing development of Contineo’s network and technology, which at launch will allow subscribers to easily access their counter-parties through a web-based interface and a set of open application programming interfaces (APIs). The technology is powered by AG Delta’s application architecture and is targeted to go live in early 2015. Contineo is currently registering private banks and implementing connectivity to issuers, as well as working with other certified third party technology companies. Mark Muñoz, a financial technology veteran, has been appointed Managing Director.

Mr. Muñoz said, “I’m delighted to launch an exciting new technology company that has the support of the industry’s leading firms. Our aim is to make accessing equity-linked structured products easier and at a lower cost. We’re working closely with the buy-side and sell-side institutions to ensure our approach benefits the entire industry.”

Structured product distribution and transactions are highly manual at present and there are different practices and protocols across the industry. Contineo’s goal is to establish a unified communications network using the industry standard FIX protocol and RESTful web services, which will be accessible to all participants. This will lower costs, increase product access and assist in risk management and compliance. Contineo will also enable other technology companies or third parties to connect to the network.

The consortium released the following statement:

“We are excited to bring our combined experience and expertise together in support of Contineo. The industry has been seeking a transparent and efficient platform to access equity-linked structured products and Contineo is poised to deliver these benefits, which will translate into dramatic cost savings for the entire industry.”

About Contineo Limited

Contineo Limited, headquartered in Hong Kong, is the first industry supported, open messaging network for private banks and wealth management firms to access issuers of structured products. The company is backed by AG Delta, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, J.P. Morgan and Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking.

For more information, visit www.contineo.link

CONTACT:

press@contineo.link

+852 3905 1030