CLS Integration for a Newly Ring-fenced Investment Banking Entity

Tier 2 United Kingdom bank | Operational transformation | Private sector

The challenge: Following United Kingdom regulations requiring the separation of retail and investment banking, a Tier 2 United Kingdom bank formed a new ring-fenced entity that required its own treasury function and Continuous Linked Settlement membership to settle foreign exchange trades. The new team had limited knowledge of Continuous Linked Settlement, unclear roles and responsibilities, and no established target operating model — resulting in delayed testing timelines.

What New Link Consulting did: New Link Consulting ran workshops to educate key stakeholders on Continuous Linked Settlement functionality, liquidity optimisation, failure scenarios and best practices. The team developed a framework to validate assumptions on supplementary Continuous Linked Settlement services, provided ongoing programme management support, worked with legal, information technology, front office and operations teams to keep the programme plan on track, and assisted in defining and implementing the operating model for Continuous Linked Settlement operations.

The outcome: A comprehensive operational understanding of Continuous Linked Settlement across the team, validated supplementary services, an agreed operating model for Continuous Linked Settlement operations, and a programme plan and reporting framework that kept all phases on track through to testing readiness.