Buyers' Guide 2000 Buyers' Guide resources Resource Centers Electronic Trading STP Invest. The deadline looms for submitting responses to the Bond Market Associations' Voluntary Protocols Initiative on April 18.
Early indications are that many firms are interested in the high-profile assignment.
Twenty-one firms attended the Bond Market Association's meeting March 29, expressing interest in creating common messaging standards or protocols for fixed income securities. The deadline for submissions is April 18. The winning bidder will be selected by the BMA's Online Bond Steering Committee on April 25, and their decision will be announced at the BMA's annual meeting held April 26 through April 28 at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia. However, two industry sources said they thought the lack of remuneration could be an obstacle to attracting a contractor. Sack explains that the industry committee decided there were firms in the e-commerce bond business with technology professionals that need a protocols infrastructure in order to make progress on behalf of their firms.