The SIFMA Podcast

In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, SIFMA president and CEO Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. and Ken Cella, Principal and Head of External Affairs for Edward Jones and 2023-2024 Chair of SIFMA's Board of Directors, discuss SIFMA's commitment to fostering effective and efficient capital markets, our role on behalf of the membership, and the goals we have set out to achieve under the direction of our leadership.

 In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, SIFMA president and CEO Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. sits down with Robert Toomey and William Thum, who outline SIFMA and SIFMA AMG's partnership to advance multiple workstreams and short-term deliverables that will set the stage for long-term implementation. These include standard documentation, enhancements to market structure, further needed regulatory reforms, and an operations timeline for all participants to adjust ahead of the 2026 go-live for U.S. Treasury clearing. 

In this episode of The SIFMA Podcast, SIFMA's Joseph Seidel and Dr. Peter Ryan identify and discuss three key takeaways from SIFMA's recent Basel III Endgame Roundtable. The Basel III Endgame package of reforms:

1. Is unprecedented in its scale and scope and deviates from its original intent;
2. Must be re-proposed in full for both substantive and legal reasons; and
3. Must be subject to wide-ranging and material revisions that also take into account the proposal's interactions with other elements of the U.S. capital framework.

In their discussion, they highlight remarks from the Roundtable's diverse group of regulatory, academic and business participants. They cover the proposal's implications for the U.S. capital markets, end-users, and broader economy, and the prospects for material changes to the proposal, particularly its trading book-related components. 

In this episode of SIFMA's podcast, Ken Bentsen, SIFMA's President and CEO, and Tom Price, Managing Director of Technology Operations and Business Continuity, discuss the final days leading up to the transition to T+1 day settlement. They discuss the industry's readiness for the transition, the history of settlement cycles, and the benefits of T+1. They also highlight the resources available and the importance of communication during this transition. 

 In this episode of the SIFMA Podcast SIFMA President & CEO Ken Bentsen sits down with Scott Smith, Director of Advice Relationships at Cerulli Associates, and Lisa Bleier, Head of Wealth Management and Retirement and State Government Affairs at SIFMA. They discuss new findings issued by SIFMA and Cerulli Associates regarding the current landscape of financial planning, namely the increasing desire from investors for personalized comprehensive advice delivered through trusted advisors. They also dive into the proposed DOL fiduciary rule and how it conflicts with the needs of the next generation of investors as laid out in the research. 

About 30% of the world is neurodivergent and these are major untapped talent pools. With some minor adjustments and accommodations to workplace processes we can enable these colleagues to work in this industry, be their very best and create an inclusive culture.

In the latest episode of our SIFMA DE&I podcast series, we sat down with JPMorgan Chase’s Head of Office of Disability Inclusion and Neurodiversity, Bryan Gill for a discussion on JPMorgan Chase's investment in neurodiversity, bringing intentional effort to be inclusive in this community and the superpowers that they can bring to a firm. 

He also highlights the advocacy work being done to remove barriers from archaic regulations, how allyship in the workplace can support neurodivergent colleagues, leading with empathy and the cultural impact it has on an organization.

For more information on fostering and expanding workforce, client, and supplier diversity equity and inclusion, please visit www.sifma.org/diversity.

The military is one of the most diverse organizations in the world. It requires a diverse skill set and grit to be in the service and we learn just how easily veterans can translate those skills into the financial services industry.

In the next episode of our SIFMA DE&I Podcast series, we chat with Academy Securities Founder and CEO, Chance Mims on the nation’s first veteran-owned and operated firm and their commitment to recruiting and empowering military veterans. Chance shares insights on Academy Securities social mission to combat veteran unemployment including prioritizing female veterans and the focus to find nontraditional Wall Street pedigrees. He highlights how the industry can harness similar recruitment strategies by having veterans contribute to the entire process from interviewing to hiring to mentorship.

 We kick-off part II of our SIFMA DE&I Podcast series with PIMCO’s Head of Public Policy, Libby Cantrill, for a discussion on Libby’s career path starting from what sparked her initial interest in finance to her time on Capitol Hill and the journey that has led to her current role at PIMCO. 

She shares insights on the role of mentors and sponsors throughout her career which provided her with an important example early on that you can be a pioneer but at the same time be a parent and/or a spouse. She shares the challenges she faced as she evolved, and advice she’d give the younger generation as they think about their career development paths. 

In this episode of The SIFMA podcast, Joe Siedel, SIFMA's Chief Operating Officer, and colleague Ellen Greene, Managing Director of Equity and Options Market Structure, discuss why the SEC's rulemaking agenda continues to raise questions. They dive into some of the key questions around the equity market structure proposals and how they may affect listed options and innovation. With the move to T+1 next May, Joe and Ellen also talk about why customer education is a critical component in the transition. Tune in now.

In this episode of Top of Mind with SIFMA Insights, Katie Kolchin, CFA, Head of Research, is joined by Torsten Slok, Chief Economist and Partner at Apollo Global Management to recap the recent FOMC meeting, exploring the actions taken and shedding light on the future of rate hikes.