SEMINAR REPORT

ON
NETWORK CUSTODY SYSTEM

CONTENTS

1. Introduction-A unique custody solution for the new

millennium

2. NCS- The Features

3. An overview of the entire system

4. 3- Tier Architecture of NCS

5. Key Product Features

6. NCS Architecture

7. System Components

8. Hardware & Software Requirements

9. SWIFT-
• Introduction
• SWIFT Messages
• SWIFT Usage
• SWIFTNet Utilizes IP to access services
 10. Conclusion- NCS- A Solution For The Future
11. Bibliography

NETWORK CUSTODY SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION:
Custody is no longer confined to traditional
settlement and safe keeping activity. The custodian’s role is undergoing a
metamorphosis, as clients demand more and more sophisticated services. To
strengthen their market presence custodians are increasingly required to
extend their services. Services that were considered value-added are now
regular features of their custody service. Today clients demand standard
custody reporting, corporate actions, incoming processing, securities
lending, tax reclamation, contractual settlements, electronic communication
links, and automated sub-custodian networks as basic services.
Recent trends in market practices require
custodians to service clients across global markets. Cross-border trading
becomes the norm as investment spreads across the globe and grows at
exponential rates. This in turn has led to increase in trade volumes.
Custodians also need to adapt to the ever-changing needs of local and
foreign-investors and also meet increasing statutory obligations. With so
many demands being made, custodians are relying heavily on technology in
a bid to remain in the race. However, technology solutions can help only
when custodians know exactly what they want from them. Client services
like status information; trade settlement information and client reporting are
top priority. Solutions that anticipate client needs and help provide services
with minimal delay and efforts are a boon.
Custodians looking for technology solutions are
not merely looking for automation of processes. Maintaining a network of
custodian- sub-custodian- Investment manager- client, being first with
information and services, availing real time message processing and update
of transactions, as well as workflow management, are some of the
capabilities that interest them.
What is really necessary therefore, is a comprehensive industry-wide
platform that enables speedy processing of data, both securely and
economically. Automation of as many processes as possible is essential to
increase efficiency and speed, and to avoid duplication of work. But
technology solutions do not stop at automation alone, they must take into
account other factors that enable custodians always to protect the interests of
their clients first. Solutions must support workflow management by
informing operations staff of the status of orders, commitments and pending
transactions at any point of time, so that decisions are taken pro-actively
with the client.
It is important therefore, that any solution provider
be able to improve the effectiveness of the following:
• Responsiveness to client queries
• Accuracy of information and
report
• Pro-activity in client dealings
• Timeliness and frequency of
information.

NCS-THE FEATURES:
A wide range of custodial services such as safe
keeping, trade settlement, corporate action administration, clearing
transactions, registration of securities, securities lending, charges etc., are
highly automated in NCS. Corporate actions, financial instruments (equities,
debt instruments and derivatives) fees and charges, and processing steps can
be configured to suit specific custodial needs. It caters to market specific
requirements such as maintaining letters of guarantee details in lieu of share
certificates (as in Manila) and legend status (as in Hong Kong), and market
specific registration processes of securities. It also supports reconciliation of
system records with vault holdings (for scrip based securities), and
reconciliation with statements sent by the central depository (for scripless
securities).
NCS is based on generically re-engineered
business processes to provide for increased automation. It supports
workflow management and improves client servicing response time through
online information on the status of various transactions and trade reporting.
The system has a generic corporate action processing capability by defining
a standard timetable applicable to corporate actions, and by conceptualizing
the result of any corporate action based on transactions on the underlying
security.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM:
A comprehensive rejection monitoring facility
enables tracking of instances of rejection of securities by a registrar( who
rejects securities sent for registration), a counterparty (who rejects securities
delivered for trade settlement), or a depository (which rejects securities sent
for de-materialization). The claim monitoring facility identifies
circumstances in which claims arise, generates the required claims, and
enables tracking of claims to closure. It also supports valuation of client
portfolios and has extensive client, management, and regulatory reporting
options.
NCS facilitates risk control through prompts
and alerts on pending corporate actions, open claims, expiring securities, fall
in value of collateral pledged by borrowers, and deadlines. Audit is made
possible by logging of changes made with pre and post image reporting.
Securities are provided for by means of a well-defined security manager
layer.
NCS is a flexible and configurable application
and can include customized message formats, client defined code words and
a variety of standing instructions. It also supports multi-currencies and
definition of differentiated charges, and reporting packages. For areas such
as fees and charges a rule-based engine has been developed which provides
the flexibility of defining new methods of charges without having to
overhaul the system.
• NCS has system interfaces with several
external systems such as:
• SWIFT network for transmission of
SWIFT messages.
• Proprietary Cash and General Ledger
systems used by banks, such as
Hogan/MSA, Bank Master, Midas etc.
(NCS supports online bookings into the
cash system for settlements, and checking
of current cash balances of clients prior to
execution of buy/receive orders and
provides a sophisticated cash planning
function for projecting client cash
balances.)
• Rate distributed systems to obtain foreign
exchange rates.
 • Price feed systems to obtain security rates,
trade volume information, and rating
information.
• Other depository systems for trade
settlement.
• Propriety reporting systems of banks.

The system has a sophisticated message

control function that allows the management of inward messages, balancing
workloads, monitoring and reporting of problem messages, and handling
outward messages. It has the ability to distinguish problem messages from
normal ones and route them separately. This enables straight through
processing of clean messages. Technically, NCS has sophisticated
communication capabilities that conform to industry standards including
SNA, APC, LU6.2, TCP/IP, and the various SWIFT standards, enabling
connectivity with various communication networks and making NCS a
completely open system.
A major strength of NCS is its object oriented
3-tier client/server architecture. This insulates the application from technical
implementation and enables enhancement to support future technologies in a
transparent manner without having a major impact on the application. The
system provides a consistent and user friendly GUI with interfaces to Email
and MS word.

Registration Claims Cash planning

monitoring
Custody/Deposi Client Reporting
tory Mgmt. Rejection Business service modules
monitoring M.I.S (K.R.I)
Securities
Lending

Central
Depository Trade settlement
Universal Corporate Actions
Transaction
Workflow Clearing transactions
Processor
Manager Market Information
Pricing Services, Charges
Reuters
Extel
Cash & General
Ledger Systems
Reporting
Management
Master Data History Archives Print Management
Administrator 3-TIER Database System Security
• Business
Partners Communication
3 – Tier
• Financial ARCHITECTURE OF NCS:
System Management
Instruments The 3-tier architecture requires lower system and
operational resources, provides security, enables auditing of transactions,
and makes it scalable to handle increased business volumes. This also
enables easy portability of the application to other operating systems and
databases. It provides for smooth operation through facilities such as batch
processing , back/up restore, and recovery mechanism.
One of the key features of NCS is ‘business
hubbing’. Here clients may use one NCS site to transact business in affiliate
offices of the custodian where NCS is installed.
Business scenarios change with emerging
markets increasingly introducing advanced concepts in trading, clearing and
settlement. Rapid developments in financial markets, evolution of new
instruments and derivatives, and the need to provide additional services to
clients demand a system that facilitates and supports change. The object-
oriented architecture of NCS enables customization of the system to meet
future needs with minimum reprogramming.

Windows 98/ Windows NT

Clients
OLTP (Client)

External Messages
OLTP (Server)
Application Commun
Security ication
Servers
Workflow Sys/
Application Batch
Services Reports NCS Entities (Hubbing)

DM Libraries DM Server CORBA

Database
Servers Database
Key Product Features:
• Multi Currency
The system allows the custodian to trade
and report in the client’s currency of choice. It also supports multiple
accounts, each having a different (or same) currency. NCS has an
interface to get the exchange rate between currencies from rate providers
and does all the conversions automatically.

• Flexible and Adaptive

NCS has customized message formats,
ability to include client defined code words, variety of standing
instructions, multi-currency support, differentiated charge and reporting
package definitions. It has communication capabilities that comply with
industry standards and has the potential to connect to a variety of
communication networks and hence is interoperable.

• Straight through Processing

NCS provides for a sophisticated message
control function that allows management of inward message traffic,
balancing workloads, monitoring and reporting of problem messages and
handling of outwards messages. This is one of the most important features of
NCS as it permits the system to handle clean messages without user
interference.

• Efficient and Reliable

Technology experts and vendors such as
IBM, Sybase, have reviewed the implementation of the transaction
architecture at various stages; the system architecture is superior and
technically reliable.

• Secure
NCS provides for improved Risk Control
through prompts and alerts on pending corporate actions open claims,
expiring securities and deadlines.
 NCS is secure through a well-defined
security manager layer. Information is controlled through role-based
access. Each user can be attached to one or more roles. The custodians
can customize/create new roles as per requirement. NCS has
comprehensive audibility features. All modifications are auditable by
logging of changes made with pre-/ post image reporting.

NCS Architecture:
The NCS application follows a layered
design approach. By grouping logically related and cohesive
functionality together in one layer, the application offers benefits like
modular design, efficient resource utilization, configurable parameters,
simplified development, better performance and ease of maintenance .
The NCS application is based around a
client-server model/paradigm. The client component interacts with the
end-users and provides the User Interface functions. The Server
component provides one or more services to the client and other external
requests. The Client and the server Components communicate between
each other over a Local Area Network through requests and responses.
The Client/Server model maximizes the application throughput and
reduces the Server overhead per use interaction by distributing the user
interface processing on powerful clients, business logic processing on the
Server etc.
The system environment of NCS
comprises of:
• MS-Windows based Client workstations comprising of a Presentation
layer developed using Power Builder and User Interface (UI) manager
developed using MS-windows SDK. (a development kit by Microsoft
using the C programming language)
• Application Servers on RISC/6000 with CICS/6000 as the On-line
Transaction Processor OLTP) and Sybase as the Relational Database
Management System (RDBMS). It is not mandatory that Sybase be
used at the back-end; the layered approach makes porting to other
Databases, like Oracle, feasible.
• A Network interface using the Novell NetWare to provide the
necessary interface between the Client and the Sever using the TCP/IP
protocol.
System Components:
Broadly, the Application Architecture
has been classified into the following components to achieve the
objectives:
• Application Presentation Layer
• User Interface (UI) Manager
• Universal Transaction Processor (UTP)
• Application Security Manager
• System Manger
• Data Manager
• External Communication Manager
• Report Manager
• Error/exception Handler.
The various layers identified above can
be further grouped into the Client layer and the Server layer based on
their expected functions. The Client layer, therefore, consists of:
• Application Presentation Layer for user interface developed
using Power Builder
• User Interface Manager(UI Manager) layer developed using
MS-Windows SDK
• Universal Transaction Process (UTP for the client) layer
developed using CICS Clients on Windows
• Network interface layer to interact with Server.

The Server layer consists of

• Network interface layer to interact with the Client

• Universal Transaction Processor (UTP for Server) layer
developed using CICS/6000
• Application Security Manager for security validation
• Data manager to interact with the Sybase Database
• External Communications Manager to interact with the
external systems
 • Report Manager for generation of ad-hoc and batch reports
• Systems Manager

Application Presentation Layer

The application presentation layer of the
Client will provide the front end to the users for interaction with
the NCS application. The Presentation layer interacts with the
end-user to get inputs and present the results. It also interacts
with the User Interface Manager and the UTP Client to pass the
user inputs and get the responses. The layer shall allow user to
interact with the system in a non-sequential manner. Multiple
windows can be on the screen at the system, allowing different
functions of the application to be accessed. The layer shall also
supports interaction, exchange of data between NCS and other
MS-Windows application. The layer will also provide context
sensitive help to the user.

User Interface Manager

The User interface (UI) Manager is
responsible for managing all the necessary functionality of NCS on the
client PCS. These include, Startup, Shutdown of client, local processing
and error handling at the Client.
On the other side, it communicates
with the Client UTP to communicate to the Server and get responses
from the Server.
The functions provided by the UI
Manager include:
• Provide facility for establishing connection with the
Server application through the Universal Transaction
Processor for Login, Logout, Screen locking, Screen
unlocking.
• Get the user-roles and other static data from the Server
application and maintain the same in memory.
• Invoke the Application Presentation layer services to
present the results to the user.
 • Provide facility for receiving and processing any
broadcast (Unsolicited) messages from the Server for
the Client.
• In case of any error detection at the Client level, map
the error code to the corresponding error messages and
provide the same to the Presentation layer for message
display.

Universal Transaction Processor

The Universal Transaction Processor
provides the mechanism for implementation of the
Client/Server model. The UTP layer implements the
communication and transactions management between the
Client and the Server. It comprises of two components: UTP
Client and the UTP Server. The UTP provides a set of
Application Programming interfaces (APIs) on both the Client
and the Server workstations enabling the Client and the Server
to inter-communicate.

At an overall level, the UTP will provide a framework

for the execution of the background processes (CICS
transactions) in the system.

The UTP shields other NCS components from

communication and transaction management implementation.
This layer provides a set of services, which encapsulate the
underlying CICS/6000 and other associated services in a
configuration required by the application.

Client UTP
The UTP on the Client workstation provides a set of
APIs for the UI Manager to initiate communication with the Server. The
functions provided by the UTP Client include:
• Initiate a synchronous transaction on
the Server
• Get response for the synchronous
transaction from the Server
• Initiate an asynchronous transaction
on the Server
 • Get response for the asynchronous
transaction from the Server
• Check for any
Notification/broadcast (Unsolicited)
messages from the Server for the
Client
• Send request to the UTP Server for
the unsolicited messages
• Receive the message from the
Server
• Pass the responses to the
Presentation layer for subsequent
processing
• Authenticate the communicating
party

Server UTP
The Server UTP provides a set of APIs for
communication between various Application Server
components and manages communication with the Client. The
functions provided by Server UTP include:
• Receive the request messages from the Clients
• Interface with the Application Security manager to
validate the authenticity of the incoming requests from
the Clients
• Initiate/Invoke a service identified by the Client request
• Communicate with the Data Manager for any database
related requirements
• Send responses to the Clients for requests made either
in the synchronous or asynchronous mode
• Generate broadcast message(s) for the Client(s),
automatically when necessary or upon request
• Send the broadcast (Unsolicited) messages to the Client
• Provide a mechanism for sending of notification
messages generated by the application modules
Application Security Manager
The application security manager provides
application level security to the system data being accessed by
various categories of the users. In addition, it will provide
facilities for User password maintenance, service
authentication etc. The functions provided by the application
security manager are as follows
• Provide facility for password maintenance by the user as
well as the System Administrator
• Get information regarding the roles and functions applicable
within the role for the Client to the Client workstation at the
time of the Client login90
• Authenticate the validity of the user for the services
requested from the Client workstations
• Authenticate the validity of the messages received from the
external systems through the External Communications
Manager, where necessary.

Systems Manager
The Systems Manager provides a
mechanism for performing the normal system functions such as
scheduling of batch processing, static data mechanism etc. The
Systems Manager will provide the following functions:
• Facility for the reception of inputs from the customers
and other external systems over batch media such as
tapes etc.
• Facility for processing the inputs received over the batch
media
• Provide facility for the system administrator for
creation/maintenance of users for the Network custody
System
• Allow for the grouping of the Network Custody System
functions into application roles
• Assign one or more roles and the associated functions to
the users
• Facility to provide interface to the system administrator
to maintain the static data
 • Provide a mechanism for the execution of batch jobs with
multi-threading, restart facility, file handling facility etc.
• Provide facility for system startup, shutdown

Data Manager
The Data Manager will provide all the necessary
database access and update services to the application components of
NCS. All functions, which result in the update of the NCS database, will
be routed from the application components through the Application
Security Manager. The functions provided by the Data Manager are as
follows:
• Provide DM functions for accessing/updating the NCS
database
• Provide facility for auditing facilities for database
updates
• Manage exceptions in database operations

External Communications Manager

The External Communication
Manager provides an interfacing mechanism with various external
systems like SWIFT, VISTA, cash systems like HOGAN, MSA,
BANKMASTER etc. The type, mode, format of external system
interfaces should be transparent to the application modules. The external
communications manager also takes care of the hubbing requirements.
The functions provided by the External Communications Manager are as
follows:
• Establish Connection with the remote external system
• Terminate the Connection with the external system
• Manage time scheduled interfacing
• Define the type, mode and format of each external
connection
• Associate each external connection with an
application process
• Provide distributed transaction initiation/processing
facilities

For incoming messages

• Receive messages from the external system
 • Validate the message for the authenticity of the
Sender by interfacing with the Systems Security
Manager, where necessary
• Translate the message from the external format to
the NCS internal format
• Maintain a log of all incoming messages from the
external system
• If required, send responses to the external system
• Invoke the appropriate Application server processes
for the processing of the message

For outgoing messages

• Interface with the appropriate application process to
get the message to be sent to the external format
• Send the message to the external system
• Maintain a log of all outgoing messages from NCS
• Receive responses from external system, if required
In the case of hubbing, the external communications manager
should maintain the details of other NCS sites with which it can
communicate. For each site, it maintains whether the mode of
communication is through distributed processing or through the
fallback media (SWIFT). Each site (standalone or hubbed) will
operate in a CICS region and Sybase database defined for it.
Depending on whether a target site is hubbed or not, the
external communications manager should invoke the
appropriate process associated with the external system for
exchanging data.

Report Manager
The Report Manager provides the facility for
generation of reports and dispatching of the same to
the end-users. The Report Manager provides the
following functions:
• Schedule batch reports requested by the
end-users
• Process on-demand report requests
• Generate reports
 • Interface with the report archival system
for archival of the reports
• Dispatch the reports to the necessary
destination
• Manage distribution lists.
Error/ Exception Handler
The error/exception handler provides facilities for
handling errors/exceptions arising in the Network
Custody System. The exception handler should
provide the following functions:
• Provide exception handling for the
following types of exceptions:
• CICS/6000 related exceptions
• Database/application related exceptions
• Network/communication exceptions
• Security related exceptions
• Exceptions in the Client workstation
• Rollback the database related updates
done in the event of the error/exception
detected since the last checkpoint taken
during the processing
• Provide for tolerating the ‘ record not
found’, ‘duplicate record’ conditions etc.
depending upon the application
requirements
• Generate a report on error/exception
detection providing detailed information
regarding the error/exception and print
the same
• Maintain a centralized error log for all
errors/exceptions detected at the Client as
well as the Server
The error/exception handler in the Network Custody
System will be implemented as a set of handlers for
each type of errors/ exceptions mentioned above.

Hardware & Software Requirements

 Hardware
The client workstation will be a PC-486/Pentium and the
server will be a RISC-6000/ IBM Mainframe 9672-R35 machine.

Operating System

Operating System Version

OS 390 V2R8
Client machine: Windows NT / Windows 2000
AIX 4.3.3

System software
System Software Version

UDB 7.2
IBM CICS Transaction server 4.2.0.1
CICS Client on NT / WIN 2k V 5.0
Pentium work station preferably
with 256 MB RAM and 10GB hard
disk
Client on NT/Win2K Pentium work V 4.0
station preferably with 128 MB
RAM and 2GB hard disk

Programming languages
Programming language Version

C++ 3.6.2

Special software
Special software Version

Power Builder 8.0

Sybase Adaptive Server 7.0
 Deployment will be on mainframe with database as DB2.

SWIFT
Introduction
• SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial
Telecommunication.
• Owned by hundreds of banks worldwide
• Legacy and still predominant service is the Financial Information
Network (FIN), a store-and-forward messaging service supporting over
240 message standards for payments, securities, trade finance, etc.
• Traditional customers include custodian banks, depositories, and
settlement houses.
• For the securities industry, most message usage is post-trade, pre-
settlement, post-settlement and custody services.
• Provides additional messaging services.
• Provides room for growth using updated technology
• The medium for an XML-based standard
SWIFTNet Utilizes IP to access Services
SWIFTNet Messaging Applications
User
Vendor FIN Market
Interface Infrastructure

InterAct
SWIFT Secure IP Service
Alliance Network Providers
Gateway FileAct
Customers
SWIFT
Alliance Browse
Counterparties
WebStation

• InterAct: Real-time exchange and store-and-forward exchange of

messages between parties
• FileAct: Large volumes of data for automated file exchange, both real-
time and store-and-forward (e.g. credit transfers such as pension or
salary payments, securities clearing, settlement instructions
• Browse: Secure (authentication, encryption), browser-based access to
messaging features of other services
CONCLUSION
NCS-A Solution For The Future
The product, Network Custody System (NCS), started in 1995 was
meant to support the custody related business requirements in both scrip
less and scrip based environment.
It provides a high degree of automation in a range of custodial activities
such as trade settlement, corporate action administration, registration of
securities, billing and the like. NCS is object-oriented network; open
systems based and are under client-server architecture. The product
functions are governed by industry standards such as SWIFT
messages/Action Source/Bloomberg/VISTA for information exchange on
one-hand and complex algorithms for valuation, ever-growing list of
corporate actions and newer instruments on the other. Also, the business
and industry need to have a solution that will support the business
volumes, which fluctuate based on market influence, with minimum
operational resources. Further, the operations people need to know the
status of orders, commitments and the pending work load at any given
situation so that issues such as buyings, breaking of chains etc. are
avoided and decisions are taken pro-actively with the client.
NCS integrates a number of business requirements across markets and is
designed with the following objectives:
• Maintaining client focus
• Improving business efficiency through work flow management
• Managing risks through prompts and alerts
• Providing a flexible architecture for future requirements.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
• http//www.google.com
• http//www.altavista.com
• CSI Journals
• Computer Networks- Andrew S.Tanenbaum