Categories

Dealers nominating themselves for derivatives house of the year should be strong across a number of product classes. Submissions should include details of how the dealer has best met the needs of clients and responded to market influences over the past 12-18 months. Pitches should include examples of specific, innovative deals and can include investment capabilities as well as trading and risk management. Explanation of why the deal(s) stand out against other market activity and what they achieved for the customer and wider market is essential. Customer references or testimonials are welcomed

This award is for energy firms showing outstanding risk management capabilities. The award considers the firm’s internal risk management function and/or the external risk management they offer clients. It will consider the firm’s approach to market, counterparty, liquidity and other trading risks. Submissions should outline risk and capital management processes, policies and systems, and describe any improvements made to the risk and capital management functions at the firm over the last year. Particularly important is how teams have responded to market changes and how the risk function has contributed to overall strategy and performance. Ideally, the value of the risk function will be demonstrated in one or more case studies, showing how the firm has managed a particular source of exposure, or anticipated or responded to a market move.

This category recognises commodity derivatives trading firms that work directly with clients and/or through brokers, to make markets and provide liquidity across various commodity markets. Market access, volumes traded, response times, ticket sizes and reliability during periods of market stress will all be considered. Client feedback will be essential. We will also need details on how the firm manages risk. Including client references or testimonials is a good idea.

• Oil & Products House of the Year
• Natural Gas/LNG House of the Year 
• Electricity House of the Year
• Base Metals House of the Year
• Precious Metals House of the Year

The Product House of the Year submissions should include case studies and notable deals that show how the entrant has outperformed over the past 12-18 months in that particular market segment. The submission should demonstrate excellence in risk management through specific examples. When referring to specific deals, explanation of why the deal(s) stand out against other market activity is essential. What did they achieve for the customer and the wider market? Customer references or testimonials are welcomed. There's no limit to the number of product categories

• Emissions House of the Year
• Weather House of the Year

These categories are open to energy firms, banks, traders or specialist firms including brokers. Like the other product categories, the Emissions and Weather categories should include case studies and notable deals that show how the entrant has outperformed in the past 12-18 months in that particular market segment. The submission should demonstrate how the entrant helped its clients through the major challenges of the last year, include details of any new, innovative structures it has developed and give details on performance.

• Environmental Products House of the Year

The Environmental Products category opens out to include environmental products such as: loans that incentivise green behaviour; green bonds; environmental indices; use of environmental and ESG derivatives; renewable energy certificates; PPAs.

• Climate Risk Manager of the Year

The Climate Risk Manager of the Year category is open to any energy firm, bank or trader that can demonstrate leadership and/or innovation in its internal approach to climate risk (monitoring, measuring, mitigating, modelling its own climate risk and responding appropriately) or through help it is giving its clients to manage their own climate risk.

• Climate Risk Advisory Firm of the Year (see also advisory)

This is for firms that advise on matters pertaining to climate risk including how to assess transition risk and physical risk as well as how to offset risk through green markets or through renewables.  (This category can also be found under Advisory Firms.)

• Commodity and Energy Finance House of the Year

The winner of this category needs to demonstrate participation (in a key role) in a wide array of commodity deals over the past year. The submission should briefly explain the significance of each deal – why did it matter, has it changed anything? It should also show why the entrant’s role was key to the deal. The entry should clearly show what was unique about the deal – did it have an innovative structure, was it the first of its kind, a first for a region or country etc?

• Trade Finance House of the Year

This category is open to all firms that offer trade finance to energy or commodity firms, whether it be transactional finance, working capital agreements or structured trade finance such as tolling agreements, repo, pre-payment or inventory financing. Submissions should demonstrate innovation in trade finance, showing why the firm’s offering stands out against other activity in the market.

The submission should focus on just one deal, giving a high level of detail including: the entrant’s role in the deal (why was it important, what USP did the entrant bring to the deal); a run-down of the structure of the deal (what markets and sorts of derivatives were involved, tenor, size etc); why is the deal a “Big Deal” (was it a first, has it changed anything etc)?

This category is open to all brokers from the largest interdealers to the smallest boutique brokers. Entrants should be able to demonstrate outperformance in the market segments in which they operate in terms of market knowledge, calibre of clients, speed of matching clients, technology offered etc. 

The Commodity Exchange of the Year should be able to boast a range of achievements – from volume growth to product or geographic expansion. Risk management and resilience will be key considerations. Submissions should include details of successful product launches and technology initiatives during the last year.

This category encompasses all OTC derivatives platforms, such as single-dealer, multi-dealer, MTFs, OTFs, etc. Entrants can highlight success in a range of ways: increased volumes, product or geographic scope, adaptation to regulatory change, popular or creative trading protocols or order types, reliable technology, etc.

• Hedging Advisory Firm of the Year
• Technology Advisory Firm of the Year
• Climate Risk Advisory Firm of the Year

These awards are given for independent advice to derivatives users. Entries should focus on how the advisor has helped its clients, giving real-life examples.

For the Hedging Advisory, a spread of capabilities should be described, from work on hedging programmes, to deal pricing and structuring, portfolio valuations or restructuring.

The Technology Advisory entry should look across the entire IT process from software selection through to implementation and importantly, impact of the project. The main focus is on CTRM software, but other technologies that aid the risk function can also be discussed. Firms should talk about what they brought to each project and how they do things differently to other firms.

The Climate Risk Advisory category is for firms that advise on all matters pertaining to climate risk including how to assess transition risk and physical risk as well as how to offset risk through green markets or through renewables. (This category can also be found in the Environmental section.)  

This is an award for bank research units or independent research houses. Pitches should focus on the quality, uniqueness and usefulness of the research, as well as talking about the organisation and marketing of the business. Examples of research should be included in the entry along with a focus on how the research is used by clients and an assessment of its impact.   

This category is for a data management firm that offers an array of commodity data sets and sources to traders as well as providing sophisticated analytics and analytics tools.

• CTRM Software House of the Year
• Commodities Technology House of the Year

The CTRM Software category acknowledges achievement, innovation and performance in this space over the past 12-18 months. Details of new products, new clients and repeat business should be included.

The Technology category extends into enterprise software, logistics, operations and scheduling software, freight software etc, as well as new technologies such as blockchain. We will consider entries from software developers but also from corporates and banks.  

This category is open to all firms operating in and for commodity markets and will highlight creativity in the energy risk management world. Submissions should focus on a single new product, service, technology or risk practice and explain how it has helped the firm, its clients or the market at large. The winners may also be selected from pitches in other categories. 

This award category recognises a company which has either started operations or entered the energy risk market in the past three years and is flourishing.