Securities Exchange, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Financial Markets Dealers’ Association (FMDA), have established Straight-Through-Processing (STP) for the settlement of fixed income trades.

With the support of the CBN and the FMDQ Dealing Member (Banks), FMDQ, on Friday, successfully deployed a fixed income market STP settlement solution through its proprietary market system – FMDQ’s Q-ex – a customised fully integrated multi- asset trading system with attendant post-trade services capabilities.

FMDQ’s Q-ex has been integrated with the CBN’s Scripless Securities Settlement System (S4) to provide STP capabilities for efficient settlement in the fixed income market, improving the efficiency of the trading, reporting and settlement processes, whilst further developing, in no small measure, the Nigerian financial markets.

According to a statement by the FMDQ, Q-ex provides an unrivalled means through which trades executed by its members (currently the Dealing Member (Banks), are reported and subsequently settled, with minimal to no human intervention, via the respective channels.

The OTC Securities Exchange explained that the deployment of the FMDQ Q-ex Settlement Solution operated by FMDQ Clear Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of FMDQ, will essentially streamline business processes to reduce friction along the fixed income trades settlement value-chain, boost productivity of the market participants and promote efficiency of post-trade services.

“It can be argued that the Nigerian fixed income market has not been performing at its optimum, as the market has been marked with bouts of low productivity, inefficiency and invariably, settlement defaults, all of which would likely have marred the market’s integrity and significantly lowered investor confidence.

“With integrity being one of the key ingredients for a successful market, as adjudged by global counterparts, the achievement of STP in the fixed income market via the integration of Q-ex and the CBN’s S4 could not have come a moment too soon, as this integration sets a clear and certain path for market-wide confidence in the Nigerian fixed income settlement processes, and by extension, the fixed income market, to be restored.

“The integration also makes possible, unparalleled visibility and transparency of the post-trade workflow (settlement obligations, reconciliations etc.) amongst FMDQ Members and their trading counterparties – another must for a successful market.”

According to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer at FMDQ, Bola Onadele, the development of FMDQ’s Q-ex and its subsequent linkage to the CBN’s S4 is one of the key medium- to long-term initiatives of FMDQ, aimed at making the Nigerian financial market operationally excellent delivering on the FMDQ’s GOLD Agenda.“With the continued collective efforts of the CBN, the Securities and Exchange Commission and indeed, other key regulators and stakeholders, we at FMDQ, are confident that the potential of our domestic markets, acting as a catalyst to propel economic growth, shall be realised.

“To build and sustain a well-functioning market, it is hoped that all hands remain on deck even as FMDQ continues to re-affirm its commitment to promote a world-class financial market operating in alignment with international best practices.”