Clearwater Analytics launched a private markets intelligence product, dubbed Fund Analytics, that has been designed to structure and validate private markets data before it reaches the analytics layer, officials say. “Private markets have become a core allocation for institutional investors, but the infrastructure supporting them remains fragmented and highly manual. Investment teams still extract, validate,… Read More >>
Tokenized ETFs Expose Post-Trade Plumbing Hurdles
For middle- and back-office operations teams, the industry’s accelerating push into tokenized assets threatens to fundamentally disrupt legacy post-trade infrastructure. When Franklin Templeton (FT) and Kraken (via its parent company, Payward) announced a strategic collaboration to bring co-designed, tokenized ETFs on-chain, the front office heralded it as a major milestone. The deal expands on Franklin… Read More >>
Is Ops Paying a Hidden ‘Manual Processing Tax?’
(Murray Campbell, principal product manager at AutoRek, recently took questions from FTF News about the hidden costs of manual processes that remain in place because firms think they’re more cost-effective than automated solutions. In this Q&A, Campbell makes the case that firms face many ongoing, unknown costs associated with manual processes that carry price tags… Read More >>
SEB Implements BBH’s Account-Opening Connectivity Solution
Private bank Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) reports that it is expanding its account-opening application programming interface (API) connectivity to custodians that want to better serve their clients. Nordic bank SEB was the first to take advantage of it. “Custodians are expected to deliver a faster, more transparent digital onboarding experience, but workflows can still depend… Read More >>
Firms Are Finding the KPI to Validate the A.I.-Recs Union
Reconciliation and exception management processes are converging with automation and artificial intelligence (A.I.) technologies, and the union could be much more than an upgrade from manual processes. If managed correctly, it could be a quantum leap forward, resulting in Ops reborn as a forward-looking trend tracking system for the front office. Yet adoption faces significant… Read More >>
Derivatives Document Negotiations Need More Automation
After conducting a survey on document negotiation, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) is making a strong case for more digitization of derivatives documentation. ISDA officials are also arguing that firms use ISDA Create, an online platform for negotiating, producing, and executing derivatives documentation. This includes the ISDA Master Agreements, variation margin credit support… Read More >>
Asset Owners Struggle to Move Beyond Spreadsheets
Pension funds, public funds, sovereign wealth funds (SWF), superannuation funds, endowments, and life insurance companies want to move away from spreadsheets and internally developed solutions used for portfolio management and asset allocation but IT complexities coupled with a shortage of expertise are thwarting their attempts to complete their digital transformations. This is according to the… Read More >>
Schroders Taps Xceptor to Manage Aladdin Data Flows
The London-based Schroders deployed the data automation offerings of Xceptor to move much of its key business onto the BlackRock Aladdin investment operations platform and wound up using Xceptor again for processes not involving Aladdin. “Schroders’ strategic aim was to get as much of their business onto Blackrock Aladdin and their core supporting platform,” Josh… Read More >>
DTC & Kingfield Advance Automation for Corporate Actions Claims
The Depository Trust Co. (DTC), a DTCC subsidiary, reports that its automated corporate actions cash claim processing service, ClaimConnect, now links to a claims processing platform from Kingfield Corp., and the link matches claims before they’re sent to the DTC for processing and intraday settlement. ClaimConnect validates, matches, settles, and closes claims in minutes, DTC… Read More >>
Ops Comes Second for Digital Overhauls: Survey
When it comes to deciding which division within a financial services firm should get priority for a digital overhaul, the operations and the sales and marketing groups come second to teams overseeing customer experiences, according to a new survey about next generational technology conducted by Broadridge Financial Solutions. The report, “Fast-tracking digital transformation through next-gen… Read More >>
