Going for gold: A celebratory night in London
21 July 2026
Bringing together the finest in the financial sector, market participants gather for a night of celebration as we highlight innovation, leadership, and achievements driving the securities finance industry
Image: Andrew Davis
In the height of summer, the Securities Finance Industry Excellence Awards returned for its fifth consecutive year in London to recognise talented and dedicated firms, individuals, and departments across the industry.
Guests heard from professional boxer Billy Schwer who spent 20 years at the top of his field, where he achieved the title of IBO World Champion.
In the securities finance world, the champion of the night was State Street, taking home four awards: European Lender of the Year, Global Borrower of the Year, Americas Repo Team of the Year, and Global Repo Team of the Year.
During a night of networking, magic, and fine dining, three individuals were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the industry. Alrick Babilon of BNP Paribas Asset Management was named Rising Star for 2026 — a young professional who has taken on real responsibility early and has made the most of it.
Joining the team in 2024 from a career that began in Paris and took him to Hong Kong for a year on the equity derivatives desk at Societe Generale, Babilon brought that experience home to a financing and derivatives trading role that few his age get to hold. He has been central to driving innovation in the repo business, leading the charge on electronic trading through the implementation and scaling of Tradeweb.
Graced with the Industry Inspiration Award, Tony Holland of the International Securities Lending Association, brings 30 years of experience across the full value chain, and is widely known as a leading voice on Securities Financing Transactions Regulation and T+1.
Holland has become the driving force behind a set of best practices that have transitioned from static documents to a practical, digital-first resource the industry now relies on. Last year, he also led the development of 10c-1a best practices.
Commenting on the achievement, Holland remarks: “Receiving this award was completely unexpected and genuinely humbling. I’ve always believed in continuing to learn, helping others where I can, and simply doing the best job possible.
“To be recognised in this way by the industry is something I am truly grateful for and very proud of. While my name is on the trophy, this really reflects the collective hard work of the entire ISLA team and the dedicated member firms who engage with us daily to raise the bar.
“Witnessing over 35 years of evolution in the industry, what consistently strikes me is the collaborative spirit and ambition to push the market forward and I’m proud to play my part in that journey.”
Bestowed with an honourable recognition for his work, Euroclear’s Olivier Grimonpont won the Lifetime Achievement Award, which represents an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the securities finance industry across their career.
With more than three decades in global financial markets, Grimonpont has earned a reputation as one of the most influential figures in the collateral and securities financing ecosystem. He was a driving force behind the creation of the Collateral Highway, turning it from a concept into the world’s leading global collateral mobility framework.
Grimonpont went on to position his organisation as the preferred global hub for Uncleared Margin Rule collateral management, leading initiatives that brought interoperability across markets. As a former regional CEO in Hong Kong and regional head for Asia Pacific, he expanded the firm’s presence and client relationships across China, Japan, and APAC.
Turning to this particular region, Japan Securities Finance Co. was named the winner of the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative award — which recognises a group or initiative that demonstrates commitment to equality and inclusion on a sustainable basis.
Yutaka Okada, representative executive officer and co-CEO, says: “As we have continuously made efforts to enhance cross-border securities financing as well as corporate governance as our most important strategies, this recognition is a highly relevant milestone to JSF.
“We will continue to foster our inclusiveness which leads to our resilience, competitiveness, and contribution to both Japanese and global securities finance markets.”
Taking home the title of Post Trade Technology Provider of the Year for 2026 was Pirum. Commenting on the win, Rob Frost, global head of business solutions, says: “Post-trade automation has been our passion for 25 years and with the world evolving with new technologies such as AI and digitalisation, we are excited to engage this automation in partnership with the industry, across the full lifecycle.”
Securing two awards that evening, HSBC was named Middle East Lender of the Year and Global Lender of the Year. Adnan Hussain, global head of securities lending and liquidity services, HSBC’s Securities Services, comments: “I’m incredibly proud to see HSBC’s Securities Services recognised as Global Lender of the Year by Securities Finance Times. I want to thank our clients for their continued trust and partnership — this recognition starts with them — and thank Securities Finance Times for this award.
“Most importantly, congratulations to our teams around the world. Their expertise, dedication, and relentless focus on clients make achievements like this possible. We remain focused on helping our clients unlock opportunity across borders and market jurisdictions, while continuing to raise the bar for our industry.”
Recognising a firm that has significantly enhanced its securities lending business through extensive use of technology and automation, the Technology-enhanced Trading Desk of the Year award went to National Bank of Canada.
James Bryce, managing director at National Bank of Canada Capital Markets, states: “This recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to leveraging technology, automation, and data-driven innovation to deliver greater efficiency, agility, and value for our clients. It is also a testament to the expertise of our teams and the strong partnerships we have built across the industry as we continue to shape the future of securities finance.”
A notable winner of the night was EquiLend, which took home three awards for Asian Data Provider of the Year, Americas Data Provider of the Year, and Trading System of the Year.
“Three awards reflects our commitment to building products that help clients stay ahead,” says EquiLend CEO Rich Grossi. “Our industry moves fast and recognitions like this are a good sign that we are keeping pace.”
Taking home the titles Collateral Solution of the Year and Best Partnership of the Year, BNY was recognised not only for its collateral service but for its collaboration with the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation. Gesa Johannsen, executive platform owner for Global Collateral Platform, says the industry’s continued shift towards central clearing is creating new opportunities to improve how collateral, liquidity, and capital are mobilised.
She adds: “These awards recognise the work of our Financing and Global Collateral teams, working alongside FICC and Cboe Clear Europe, to develop innovative and capital-efficient solutions that help clients navigate this evolving landscape, expand access, and support market resilience. We are proud to be recognised for the collaboration and innovation that made these achievements possible.”
As the winner of ‘New Securities Finance Team of the Year’, the team at Mirae Asset Securities UK say: “We thank SFT for recognising the success of the team in the short term, however we have a long way to go and a lot to achieve and we look forward to our future successes.”
Winners at the Securities Finance Industry Excellence Awards form part of an exclusive group comprising some of the most influential names in the financial services market. This year’s event also celebrated the likes of MarketAxess, Wematch.live, Scotiabank, MUFG Securities, and CACEIS.
CACEIS took home two awards for Client Services Team of the Year and ESG Initiative of the Year. Remy Ferraretto, head of securities finance and repo sales, was honoured to be selected by the event’s independent judging panel.
He continues: “Winning ‘Client Services Team of the year’ recognises our team’s unwavering commitment to building long-term partnerships and delivering outstanding service to our clients.
“Our award for ‘ESG Initiative of the year’, for the second consecutive year, reflects our continued commitment to supporting clients’ ESG ambitions through innovative solutions while fostering a culture of inclusion and talent development.
“These awards belong to the entire securities finance team and reflect the dedication, expertise, and collaboration of colleagues across CACEIS who contribute every day to our clients’ success.”
Guests heard from professional boxer Billy Schwer who spent 20 years at the top of his field, where he achieved the title of IBO World Champion.
In the securities finance world, the champion of the night was State Street, taking home four awards: European Lender of the Year, Global Borrower of the Year, Americas Repo Team of the Year, and Global Repo Team of the Year.
During a night of networking, magic, and fine dining, three individuals were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the industry. Alrick Babilon of BNP Paribas Asset Management was named Rising Star for 2026 — a young professional who has taken on real responsibility early and has made the most of it.
Joining the team in 2024 from a career that began in Paris and took him to Hong Kong for a year on the equity derivatives desk at Societe Generale, Babilon brought that experience home to a financing and derivatives trading role that few his age get to hold. He has been central to driving innovation in the repo business, leading the charge on electronic trading through the implementation and scaling of Tradeweb.
Graced with the Industry Inspiration Award, Tony Holland of the International Securities Lending Association, brings 30 years of experience across the full value chain, and is widely known as a leading voice on Securities Financing Transactions Regulation and T+1.
Holland has become the driving force behind a set of best practices that have transitioned from static documents to a practical, digital-first resource the industry now relies on. Last year, he also led the development of 10c-1a best practices.
Commenting on the achievement, Holland remarks: “Receiving this award was completely unexpected and genuinely humbling. I’ve always believed in continuing to learn, helping others where I can, and simply doing the best job possible.
“To be recognised in this way by the industry is something I am truly grateful for and very proud of. While my name is on the trophy, this really reflects the collective hard work of the entire ISLA team and the dedicated member firms who engage with us daily to raise the bar.
“Witnessing over 35 years of evolution in the industry, what consistently strikes me is the collaborative spirit and ambition to push the market forward and I’m proud to play my part in that journey.”
Bestowed with an honourable recognition for his work, Euroclear’s Olivier Grimonpont won the Lifetime Achievement Award, which represents an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the securities finance industry across their career.
With more than three decades in global financial markets, Grimonpont has earned a reputation as one of the most influential figures in the collateral and securities financing ecosystem. He was a driving force behind the creation of the Collateral Highway, turning it from a concept into the world’s leading global collateral mobility framework.
Grimonpont went on to position his organisation as the preferred global hub for Uncleared Margin Rule collateral management, leading initiatives that brought interoperability across markets. As a former regional CEO in Hong Kong and regional head for Asia Pacific, he expanded the firm’s presence and client relationships across China, Japan, and APAC.
Turning to this particular region, Japan Securities Finance Co. was named the winner of the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative award — which recognises a group or initiative that demonstrates commitment to equality and inclusion on a sustainable basis.
Yutaka Okada, representative executive officer and co-CEO, says: “As we have continuously made efforts to enhance cross-border securities financing as well as corporate governance as our most important strategies, this recognition is a highly relevant milestone to JSF.
“We will continue to foster our inclusiveness which leads to our resilience, competitiveness, and contribution to both Japanese and global securities finance markets.”
Taking home the title of Post Trade Technology Provider of the Year for 2026 was Pirum. Commenting on the win, Rob Frost, global head of business solutions, says: “Post-trade automation has been our passion for 25 years and with the world evolving with new technologies such as AI and digitalisation, we are excited to engage this automation in partnership with the industry, across the full lifecycle.”
Securing two awards that evening, HSBC was named Middle East Lender of the Year and Global Lender of the Year. Adnan Hussain, global head of securities lending and liquidity services, HSBC’s Securities Services, comments: “I’m incredibly proud to see HSBC’s Securities Services recognised as Global Lender of the Year by Securities Finance Times. I want to thank our clients for their continued trust and partnership — this recognition starts with them — and thank Securities Finance Times for this award.
“Most importantly, congratulations to our teams around the world. Their expertise, dedication, and relentless focus on clients make achievements like this possible. We remain focused on helping our clients unlock opportunity across borders and market jurisdictions, while continuing to raise the bar for our industry.”
Recognising a firm that has significantly enhanced its securities lending business through extensive use of technology and automation, the Technology-enhanced Trading Desk of the Year award went to National Bank of Canada.
James Bryce, managing director at National Bank of Canada Capital Markets, states: “This recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to leveraging technology, automation, and data-driven innovation to deliver greater efficiency, agility, and value for our clients. It is also a testament to the expertise of our teams and the strong partnerships we have built across the industry as we continue to shape the future of securities finance.”
A notable winner of the night was EquiLend, which took home three awards for Asian Data Provider of the Year, Americas Data Provider of the Year, and Trading System of the Year.
“Three awards reflects our commitment to building products that help clients stay ahead,” says EquiLend CEO Rich Grossi. “Our industry moves fast and recognitions like this are a good sign that we are keeping pace.”
Taking home the titles Collateral Solution of the Year and Best Partnership of the Year, BNY was recognised not only for its collateral service but for its collaboration with the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation. Gesa Johannsen, executive platform owner for Global Collateral Platform, says the industry’s continued shift towards central clearing is creating new opportunities to improve how collateral, liquidity, and capital are mobilised.
She adds: “These awards recognise the work of our Financing and Global Collateral teams, working alongside FICC and Cboe Clear Europe, to develop innovative and capital-efficient solutions that help clients navigate this evolving landscape, expand access, and support market resilience. We are proud to be recognised for the collaboration and innovation that made these achievements possible.”
As the winner of ‘New Securities Finance Team of the Year’, the team at Mirae Asset Securities UK say: “We thank SFT for recognising the success of the team in the short term, however we have a long way to go and a lot to achieve and we look forward to our future successes.”
Winners at the Securities Finance Industry Excellence Awards form part of an exclusive group comprising some of the most influential names in the financial services market. This year’s event also celebrated the likes of MarketAxess, Wematch.live, Scotiabank, MUFG Securities, and CACEIS.
CACEIS took home two awards for Client Services Team of the Year and ESG Initiative of the Year. Remy Ferraretto, head of securities finance and repo sales, was honoured to be selected by the event’s independent judging panel.
He continues: “Winning ‘Client Services Team of the year’ recognises our team’s unwavering commitment to building long-term partnerships and delivering outstanding service to our clients.
“Our award for ‘ESG Initiative of the year’, for the second consecutive year, reflects our continued commitment to supporting clients’ ESG ambitions through innovative solutions while fostering a culture of inclusion and talent development.
“These awards belong to the entire securities finance team and reflect the dedication, expertise, and collaboration of colleagues across CACEIS who contribute every day to our clients’ success.”
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100% ON RETURNS If you invest in only one securities finance news source this year, make sure it is your free subscription to Securities Finance Times
