Open Source in Finance Forum London 2024

This session covers the problems with creating fast ticking trading desktops and how the Finos open source project Vuu aims to solve them. It will go into Vuu's basics components, as well as its big data support, its threading model and its extensible module system.

There is a strong desire in the FDC3 community to bring FDC3 to web browsers and several vendors with products, but there's a problem… FDC3 began as an initiative to "develop specific protocols and taxonomies" to advance the ability of desktop applications in financial workflows to interoperate in a plug-and-play fashion, without prior bi-lateral agreements", and has largely succeeded! However, there are assumptions baked into current versions of FDC3 (e.g. the presence of a desktop container that can inject code into web apps, that web apps don't navigate to different URLs and become different apps, that the Desktop Agent knows the config and identity of each app a priori. To bring FDC3 to Web browsers, securely and without firms and app developers having to coordinate on using the same vendor libs, rather than just the open-source FDC3 library, those assumptions need to be reevaluated and additions made to the FDC3 Standard. The 'FDC3 for Web Browsers Discussion group' has worked hard on those additions. This talk provides an overview of proposed changes to enable web apps that can run in any Desktop Agent, whether it was designed to run in a browser or a container.

In this cloud-centric era, businesses are drawn to the flexibility of cloud computing, but managing costs poses challenges. The session, "FinOps Excellence, Strategies, and Open Source Tools for Mastering Cloud Cost Optimization," guides you through future-proof solutions, open-source tools, and the transformative power of Financial Operations (FinOps). Let's dive deep into key strategies for cloud cost optimization, leveraging cloud services, and embracing FinOps. Know FinOps' role as the financial planner for cloud projects, focusing on core principles such as benchmarking, accountability, cultural shift, and data management. Explore AI's crucial role in cost optimization for predictive analytics, anomaly detection, and automation, and get insights into building a strong foundation to address FinOps adoption challenges. Real-world case studies will illustrate organizations achieving cost savings and cloud efficiency through FinOps. The session aims to encourage attendees to embark on a cost-saving adventure in FinOps, aligning cloud spending with strategic goals and equipping them with knowledge and tools for successful cloud cost optimization.

FDC3 is changing the way we compose applications and promises to deliver some amazing value and agility to our clients. Developers use the Genesis platform to rapidly build visually stunning and functionally rich capital market applications. Historically, the impedance to clients maximising the value of this software has been the integration with the complex legacy estate. Genesis provides a toolbox of capital market integrations but we still find a significant part of the cost, duration and risk of a project comes from the tedium of plumbing systems together. FDC3 is promising to turn this paradigm on its head. In this session we will show how Genesis and our clients are constructing discrete but valuable components rather than monolithic applications using FDC3 and how this impacts all aspects of software delivery. We will also talk about how are applying the lessons learnt from many years of financial systems integration in the slightly different context of desktop interoperability.

The CNCF Platforms WG places platform product management at “Level 3 - Scalable” in their platform maturity model reinforcing that treating internal platforms as products is a key tenet of modern platform engineering. Natwest Group has been growing this capability within their Hosting Solutions team and this talk will cover the why, what and how of that experience. By bringing together a cross-functional team and working with experts in the Platform Engineering domain, the team has focused on choosing the right open source tools for the job and enabling co-creation of capabilities. This talk will describe how they have focused on a GitOps approach and incorporated a range of tools including Kubernetes, Backstage, Flux and other open source technologies to define a set of patterns and enable platform users to have a seamless developer experience across the Banks Private and Public Clouds. The speakers will describe the progress made so far, the lessons learned along the way and the next steps for driving innovation further.

Unveil the potential of the A11Y Theme Builder, a pivotal FINOS project, revolutionizing accessibility in fintech and beyond. This open-source tool is specifically engineered to ensure digital platforms, especially within financial institutions, start with and maintain stringent WCAG compliance, addressing the sector's urgent need for inclusive design. Discover how the Theme Builder streamlines the creation of accessible, user-friendly applications, facilitating compliance and enhancing customer reach. We'll delve into its capabilities for automating design systems, ensuring financial services are accessible to a diverse audience, and expediting the development process. Learn about its broader implications, extending far beyond fintech, to foster universal digital inclusivity. Join us to explore how integrating this tool can transform your development workflow and contribute to a more inclusive digital ecosystem.

The growth in adoption of the FDC3 interoperability standard has increasingly thrown a spotlight on issues of security and identity. Connecting systems and reducing friction for the sharing of information inherently increases the surface area for vulnerabilities. This talk will take a deep dive into these security risks and discuss how we can maintain balance between interoperability and security and the role of both standards and implementation in getting us there.