With the Global Distribution Conference of the Luxembourg association of investment funds (Alfi) taking place this week (September 20-21), Laurent Marochini, head of innovation, Societe Generale Securities Services in Luxembourg, gives us his thoughts on technology in the financial sector.
Automation in some areas of the funds industry scores highly. Research by trade body Efama and bank messaging group Swift in 2020 found automation rates among a cohort of transfer agents working in cross-border fund orders stood at 93% in Luxembourg and Ireland.
The funds industry boasts 90% automation rates, so why is the fax machine still a ubiquitous presence? Nicholas Pratt examines the enduring appeal of this archaic technology.
Outsourcing is no longer taboo, according to Linedata’s Anup Kumar.
Nearly a third of investment firms are looking into outsourcing opportunities for their middle office operations, hoping to free up cash and human resource by removing the need to build and maintain internal teams to compete in the ESG, crypto and private debt markets or invest in introducing new systems.
Barely a month goes by without a survey of institutional investors that signals greater allocations to private markets investments.
EU proposals that should make ELTIF fund structures more accessible could prove particularly helpful for asset managers in France who target retail investors, say Ngoc-Hong Ma and Stanislas Haurens of Linklaters, Paris.
Aviva Investors has selected HSBC and Mount Street Group to service its real assets business, which holds $50 billion in assets under management.
Technology can help improve productivity and free asset management talent for wider client-focused roles. However, firms must change their culture to keep pace with ever-changing modes of operation.
A recent Funds Europe roundtable in association with Jersey Finance discussed how Jersey can retain its appeal among next-gen investors by embracing digital innovation and sustainable finance.
Tim Morgan, chair of the Jersey Funds Association, says the island’s funds play a role in value creation way beyond Jersey’s shores.
