The alliance combines SD's multi asset system for independent benchmark pricing, online execution capabilities and sales and distribution tools with Calypso's risk management system in order to provide derivatives trading customers with a powerful tool to price, manage and report their portfolios.

The alliance will give buy- and sell-side customers consistent pricing and analytics for derivatives across all asset classes, based on a single trusted and proven model, from front office pre-trade operations, to back office reporting and processing functions.

SD's independent derivatives market data including volatility surfaces can now be used with the Calypso System, ensuring price consistency across asset classes in a front-to-back office capacity, providing middle and back office professionals, risk managers, controllers and auditors with industry standard market-calibrated risk reference data for foreign exchange, with the potential to manage other asset classes such as commodities, energy, equities, interest rates and credit derivatives to follow.

Calypso's Trading and Risk Management Platform is the industry's first integrated application suite designed from the outset to be a front-to-back office, cross-asset platform for derivatives and treasury products.

Through the integration, Calypso customers currently using SD front office systems are now able to simply press one button for straight-through deal capture into Calypso.

Research from Tower Group reveals that risk management and cost control will be the key areas of focus and spending by financial institutions in the coming year. SD's derivatives pricing, productivity and execution tools for a broad coverage of asset classes and geographical reach will enable organisations to manage risk, generate revenue opportunities and independently manage derivatives, either for their own holdings or for those of their customers.

SD's patented methodology is independent oof any one data source and provides a trusted third party view of the derivatives market with modeling that reflects real interdealer bank market prices for options, enabling users to manage risk and control costs.

Zohar Hod, SD's Vice President for business development comments: "We are seeing a renewed focus from both existing and new customers on cost control and risk management. These have long been key components of our derivatives offering and working with Calypso helps to complete the service we can offer."

Pieter Hamman, VP Business Development at Calypso, says: "Risk management is now the top priority for many institutions. Our alliance with SD strengthens our ability to meet market demand for the most modern and effective risk management tools for cross-asset derivatives."