Web Apps & Content
2009-2013 was a period of peak regulatory uncertainty globally in the financial industry, with clearinghouses at the forefront of the markets for the first time. SwapClear, the Interest Rate Swap (IRS) clearing service for LCH.Clearnet, opened it's US office in 2009 with the goal of generating business from a new customer segment - end users.
My strategy at SwapClear was to educate the market by translating complex rules and terminology into simpler, digestible content using interactive web tools, video content and whitepapers. Below a sampling of the materials created.
SwapClear Website
www.swapclear.com was designed as an educational resource targeted to end users - a customer segment that was new to the idea of IRS clearing. We chose to marry the brand’s vibrant colors with a simple and clean style. I wanted these webpages to feel accessible to all levels of industry knowledge, while instilling a sense of leadership and trust.
As customers became more familiar with SwapClear and the basics of clearing, I began building web based tools as a way to continue to ad value during the customer journey.
Regulatory Timeline
New regulation was indicating that end users would, for the first time, be forced to clear their IRS in a clearinghouse. With complex rules being developed by several governing bodies, this was uncharted territory and definitions, rules and deadlines were frequently changing. Perhaps surprisingly, at the time these rules were not organized together in a single resource, rather they were all explained using legal jargon within the web pages of each governing body (i.e. CFTC website). I created this interactive timeline that included global legislation as a resource for our customers.
Mandatory Clearing Checker
Once the basic rules were defined, SwapClear’s customer support team saw an influx of inquiries around what specifically was mandated for clearing. I created the Mandatory Clearing Checker so that customers could have an easy-to-use resource that would help them to determine which interest rate swaps were mandated for clearing in the U.S. by the CFTC.
I considered this project a huge success following feedback from our public affairs team when they found out that the CTFC was actually using it themselves to remember their own rules.
Regulatory Definitions Videos
Another tactic I used to educate customers was video content. Leveraging SwapClear’s in-house experts, I produced a series of short video clips explaining definitions and timelines.
CME Market Technology Web Presence
www.cmegroup.com/markettech was designed as both an external and internal resource for customer prospects and sales staff. This was the first time all of the Market Tech product were ever featured in unison, and was the first time customer could fully understand the scope of CME's market technology offering. I wanted these webpages to feel accessible to all levels of industry knowledge, so I arranged content in the simplest possible way.
This was also the first instance of the full brand application. The new branding - shades of blue and geometric patterns and trading icons - were developed in conjunction with the development of the webpage.