By Murray Pozmanter, DTCC Head of Clearing Agency Services and Global Operations and Client Services
One of the most important ways that DTCC provides stability to the markets and the financial system is by ensuring that no matter what happens, day in and day out, we have the capacity to seamlessly handle daily trading volumes. And it is our people who make this possible – with dedication, client focus, and continued excellence.
Even as the markets reacted to this global pandemic, DTCC maintained full operational processing capability – without missing a beat. The flexibility to shift DTCC’s workforce has been a critical element of our coverage model. For the first time in the history of our business, as of March 17th our global workforce has been working remotely throughout this crisis.
Unprecedented Volatility
During the past several weeks of market stress, the number of transactions flowing through our systems has spiked dramatically. On Thursday, March 12, we set a new single day record, processing over 363 million transactions. This new peak is more than 15% higher than our last peak of 315 million transactions in October 2008, at the height of the financial crisis.
It takes planning, preparation and constant vigilance to ensure we can provide stability and reassurance to the industry during times of crisis and uncertainty, and I am extremely proud of DTCC’s performance during this unprecedented market volatility.
As the world adapts to these rapidly evolving circumstances, I want to thank our employees and our clients for pulling together so quickly to support one another. I wish all of you, your families and your friends, safety and health during these challenging times.
