Crypto and distributed ledger technology (blockchain) continue to evolve at breakneck speeds. Governments also are fostering this discussion as they investigate implementing their own Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC). More than 80 countries around the world are researching or developing CBDCs, and are at various stages of the investigating process. On January 20, 2022, the U.S. Federal Reserve issued a discussion whitepaper highlighting the features/benefits/risks of such a payment system and acknowledged they are actively investigating it. Some governments have already postponed or canceled projects, while many are still investigating the pros and cons, and others have already launched their own digital currencies.
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We all know that understanding our customers is good business. A good foundational understanding of their business needs, preferences and behaviors can produce lift and help build strong, lasting relationships. We also know that data is the best way to bridge gaps in our knowledge about customers.
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SS&C has remained closely engaged with the growing private credit sector and how the alternative asset class continues to evolve given current market conditions. The 3rd Annual LPGP Connect CFO/COO Private Debt forum will be held in New York City on Thursday, September 29, 2022, and will highlight practitioners providing valuable insights into future challenges and opportunities for firms.
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After more than 30 years, environmental, social and governance investing (ESG) seems to be finally having its day. Stories abound about the record flows, soaring investor interest and surge of new products in the ESG space. But many financial advisors are much less enthusiastic. As noted in our "Warning: It Won’t Be Easy to Get Advisors to Sell ESG" blog, just two in five advisors currently sell ESG products to their clients(according to research that we conducted in partnership with Horsesmouth), and less than one-third of those advisors ask every client if they are interested in aligning their investments with their values.
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Amid a variety of global events, 2022 has been a challenging year for many ESG investment strategies. Energy companies, most often associated with encouraging fossil fuel dependency, have performed well given the spike in energy prices driven by supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine. However, many ESG strategies screen out energy companies over concerns about their impact on climate change. At the same time, many ESG-related investment strategies have been overweighting allocations to technology stocks, which have performed relatively poorly for most of the year.
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So many industries are seeing a revolution brought on by intelligent automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA). These technologies can automate manual processes, like sending customer emails, performing compliance checks, or digitally inputting data. By identifying opportunities for intelligent automation, businesses can increase efficiency, improve the member experience, and reduce the risk of human error.
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Investment operations staff keep wealth and money management firms humming. They handle the sometimes mundane, frequently arduous and always critical tasks that reconcile trades, balance the books, capture performance and ensure compliance (just to name a few areas). In the age of the so-called Great Resignation, it’s especially important to give the staff reasons to stick around; one way is by giving them tools and technology that help them to work efficiently, advance their skills and gain opportunities to add more value to your firm.
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Most asset managers would agree that high-performance technology infrastructure is essential for optimizing efficiency, controlling operating costs and moving a business forward. In today’s complex, fast-paced marketplace, it is also a competitive necessity—potentially a big differentiator in enabling firms to operate efficiently across the investment management ecosystem and deliver a friction-free client experience. In its recent report on “The Future of Asset Management,” consulting firm Accenture said, “The asset management landscape seems to be evolving faster than firms’ ability to operationally adapt, putting pressure on firms to implement flexible, scalable operations and technology.”
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