New York, August 17, 2010.  The Wholesale Markets Brokers’ Association, Americas (WMBAA) announced today that it will host the First Annual Swap Execution Facility Conference, referred to as “SEFCON I”, focusing on the role and operation of Swap Execution Facilities (SEFs) under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.  The conference will provide global financial institutions with a comprehensive overview of this new regulatory category for US swap market intermediaries. SEFCON I will be held in Washington, D.C. on October 4, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, One Thousand H Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20001.

The keynote speaker will be Gary Gensler, Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.  Other speakers and panel members will be announced in coming weeks.

SEFCON I will be the first of its kind since the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the establishment of the SEF category. The WMBAA and its partners have supported the actions of the current administration and now seek to ensure the establishment of effective rules and regulations.

“This year’s conference is particularly important,” said conference Chair Chris Giancarlo, Executive Vice President of GFI Group, a member of the Wholesale Markets Brokers’ Association, Americas. “The passage of Dodd-Frank has brought the concept of SEFs to the forefront of the financial media, as regulators and other experts are considering the role of these facilities in the global financial markets and writing the rules for how they must operate.  We are seeing increased interest from derivative traders, dealers and end users as to how SEFs will operate and how those operations will affect the way in which swaps markets function. “

The conference is designed to bring together swaps professionals from leading brokers and other intermediaries, institutional dealers and corporate end-users along with regulators, legislators, lawyers, accountants and economists to discuss and consider the role and operation of SEFs in the new US regulatory landscape.  

Some of the discussion topics that will be addressed at SEFCON I include:

• What is a SEF?
• Voice & Electronic Modes of Execution
• Trade Transparency
• Core Principles and Self Regulation
• Access to Clearing
• Conflicts of Interest

Additional Information Available on the Web
For more information on the conference, call Anne McMillen at 212-968-2204 or see the conference Web page at: www.wmbaa.org
For additional inquiries, please contact

Emmeline Kuhn
220 E. 42nd St., Fl 12
New York, NY 10017 
212.453.2212
Emmeline.Kuhn@fleishman.com

Wholesale Markets Brokers’ Association, Americas
The Wholesale Markets Brokers’ Association, Americas (WMBAA) is an independent industry body representing the largest inter-dealer brokers (IDBs) operating in the North American wholesale markets across a broad range of financial products.  The five founding members of the group are: BGC Partners; GFI Group; ICAP; Tradition; and Tullett Prebon.  The association seeks to promote the quality and standards of the industry and the critical role played by wholesale brokers in the efficient functioning of financial markets, working with key public policymakers on regulation and oversight of over-the-counter (OTC) markets and their participants.  For more information, please go to http://www.wmbaa.org/.