Fundinfo launches Digital Advisor, intelligent fund selector
Fundinfo says its new cloud-based fund selection system, Digital Advisor, considers “investor’s emotional preferences” in addition to analysing active and passive funds.
Investment, Asset & Fund Management
UK’s Financial Conduct Authority kicks some asset management
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) says there is weak price competition in a number of areas of the asset management industry. The FCA launched the market study in November 2015 to assess whether competition is working effectively. The UK’s asset management industry is the second largest in the world, managing almost £7 trillion of […]
Redmayne-Bentley selects Vermilion for private client reporting
Redmayne-Bentley, a private client investment management firm in the UK, is implementing new client reporting software, supplied by specialist vendor Vermilion Software.
Equity firm Martin Currie picks Vermilion for reporting
Vermilion Software, a UK-based supplier of client reporting and communications software, has been selected by active equity specialist Martin Currie. Edinburgh-based Martin Currie has chosen its client reporting suite and pitchbook facility as a means of “consolidating” its reporting and marketing materials. In addition to adopting Vermilion’s V4.0 reporting technology, Martin Currie has also purchased […]
Talanx and FinLeap create Elinvar for asset management digitalisation
German insurance firm Talanx and fintech developer FinLeap have founded a joint venture to provide a digital platform for independent asset managers and private banks. Under the name Elinvar, the start-up offers a white-label platform – so asset managers can offer their own brand and corporate design. The solution includes new client onboarding, automatic creation […]
Brooks Macdonald puts IT revamp with Third Financial on hold
UK-based wealth and investment management firm Brooks Macdonald is believed to have scrapped its plans to implement a new wealth management system. The project was underway for some time, with domestic software developer Third Financial to deliver its Tercero platform, front-to-back office, to Brooks Macdonald.
JP Morgan Chase invests in InvestCloud for digital wealth management
JP Morgan Chase and InvestCloud, a California-based fintech firm, are partnering to develop digital capabilities for individual investors at both the JP Morgan and Chase franchises. JP Morgan has also made an equity investment in InvestCloud, but hasn’t revealed the figures. This investment is just one part of JP Morgan’s three-year $300 million digital strategy […]
Russell Investments selects Qumram for digital record-keeping
Russell Investments, a US-based asset management firm, has chosen Qumram to provide compliant digital record-keeping. Qumram, a digital interaction audit solutions provider, says it mitigates risk at Russell Investments by recording and retaining all digital interactions on the firm’s corporate website in real-time, in accordance with global regulatory requirements. Qumram says that “increasingly, regulation is […]
PriceMetrix acquired by McKinsey
McKinsey has bought PriceMetrix, a Toronto-based data and analytics company focused on the wealth and asset management sector. McKinsey says that “PriceMetrix will retain its management team, brand and identity, and will work in close collaboration with McKinsey’s wealth and asset management team”. PriceMetrix’s tools – ValueOne, CommissionCheck and FeeCheck – are complementary to McKinsey’s […]
Dai-ichi Life Vietnam Fund Management live with SS&C’s Portia
SS&C’s Portia platform now supports middle and back office operations at Dai-ichi Life Vietnam Fund Management. Portia is a long-standing investment management solution. It came SS&C’s way in 2012 via the acquisition of the Portia business from Thomson Reuters. SS&C paid $170 million for it. Dai-ichi Life was looking for “a proven investment management solution […]
Lemanik Asset Management opts for Linedata Compliance
Luxembourg-based Lemanik Asset Management has chosen Linedata’s compliance monitoring software – Linedata Compliance. To comply with the Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) and Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFM) directives, which impose controls and “transparency discipline”, Lemanik decided to manage its report production by itself and chose Linedata to roll out the tech. […]
Profile Software’s IMSplus gains first client in Central America
Costa Rica-based BAC San Jose Puesto de Bolsa has chosen Profile Software’s IMSplus platform to manage its investment and client portfolio operations. This is Profile Software’s first client in the Central American region. Following an international vendor evaluation, BAC will use IMSplus for MIS (management information system) and customisable reporting capabilities; and monitoring of portfolio […]
Philippines Land Bank goes live on Miles Software’s MoneyWare Custody
Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) has gone live with Miles Software’s MoneyWare Custody solution. The government-owned bank was recently accredited by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (central bank) to offer third party security custody and registry services. The new deal is part of its growth plans. Josephine Cervero, senior vice-president and trust officer, LBP, […]
Boston Trust selects SS&C for outsourcing services
Boston Trust & Investment Management Company has selected SS&C Technologies’ Advent Outsourcing Services for hosting and data management. As part of the agreement, SS&C will provide portfolio accounting and reporting, trade order management, compliance and revenue management via products such as Advent Portfolio Exchange (APX), Moxy, Advent Rules Manager, and Advent Revenue Center. Kenneth Pickering, […]
Can robo-advisors stand the test of time?
Robo-advisors are becoming increasingly commonplace in the UK’s financial sector. Over the last 18 months, high street banks such as Barclays, Lloyds, Santander and RBS have all launched robo-advice platforms, and it’s not only these well-known names that are competing to own the online investment space. Smaller challenger brands like Nutmeg and Wealthfront have also […]
Vermilion secures asset manager in Australia for reporting
Vermilion Software, a UK-based supplier of client reporting and communications software, has been selected by one of the largest investment managers in Australia, Challenger. Challenger has chosen Vermilion Reporting Suite for its institutional client base. David Mackaway, general manager of operations at Challenger, says: “Vermilion’s multi-tenanted approach will enhance our ability to deliver reporting for […]
Marathon Asset Management selects Simcorp Coric for client reporting
UK-based Marathon Asset Management (Marathon) has chosen Simcorp’s Coric – an end-to-end client communications and reporting suite. Simcorp says Marathon decided to replace its “outdated” legacy reporting system with Coric after a “comprehensive” review. The implementation will also include Coric’s Web Reporter, a self-service online reporting portal. Marathon will deploy Coric as an on-premise solution, […]
Calastone expands funds transaction network to New Zealand
London-based Calastone, the global funds transaction network, has expanded into New Zealand, and already carried out its first transaction with Australia. Calastone MD Australia, Sarah Hayward, says the firm’s extended cross border coverage enables transactions between Australian and New Zealand platforms, fund managers and respective counterparts. “Our expansion has been primarily driven by our Australian […]
Calastone gets new live site for settlement service, Hargreaves Lansdown
Hargreaves Lansdown, a financial service company based in Bristol, UK, has gone live with Calastone’s funds settlement system, Calastone Settlements. Danny Cox, head of communications at Hargreaves Lansdown comments that “automatic matching of trades and the netting of settlement positions early in the day will improve the efficiency of our operational and treasury teams”. He […]
Broadridge launches global solutions partner programme
Broadridge Financial Solutions has launched a new solutions partner programme to enable consulting, technology and servicing firms to offer technology solutions. Partner firms will get access to solutions across wealth management, asset management, capital markets and corporate issuer segments; and a set of sales enablement resources, technical training services and a financial benefits package. Ira […]
Liontrust goes live on Eze OMS and portfolio accounting systems
UK-based Liontrust Asset Management has gone live on Eze Software Group’s OMS (order management system) and portfolio accounting solutions, implementing a front-to-back office workflow to replace its in-house systems. Eze Software Group says its investment software suite was chosen after a “rigorous and lengthy” selection process involving a number of unnamed vendors. Liontrust, which has […]
Wealth Dynamix launches WDX ONE, cloud-based platform for wealth & investment managers
UK-based CRM solutions provider Wealth Dynamix has launched WDX ONE, a cloud-based framework for wealth and investment managers. WDX ONE is targeted at small to mid-market firms, and Wealth Dynamix says it cuts implementation costs by over 60%. Groupe Financiere Hottinger (GFH), a London-based portfolio management and financial advisory service, is one of the first […]
Nomura Bank extends relationship with software provider Simcorp
Luxembourg-based Nomura Bank has singed a “large additional licence agreement” with investment software specialist Simcorp, according to the vendor. The bank went to market looking for a new software provider but concluded that staying with Simcorp would be the best option. The two companies have been working together since 2009. Simcorp’s CEO, Klaus Holse, comments […]
M&A in investment management tech space: Linedata acquires Derivation
France-based Linedata has taken over fellow investment management software provider, Derivation. Derivation specialises in risk, analytics, and portfolio management solutions to institutional and hedge fund managers. It is based in the UK, employs 20 people and its pro-forma revenue for 2015 is £2 million (€2.5 million). The acquisition has now been completed. Derivation’s products will […]
Blackrock testing Symphony’s new financial messaging app
Asset management firm Blackrock is trialling Symphony’s new financial messaging app. The app is being tested by part of Blackrock’s workforce and it is “looking to roll it out more widely in the coming months”. Blackrock is a major name to come onboard and the firm has 13,000 employees. However, Symphony has had success before […]
Marstone teams with IBM Watson for cognitive computing-powered advice
Marstone, a New York-based financial services firm, has teamed up with IBM Watson for Wealth Management to offer digital advice assisted by cognitive computing. The plan is for Marstone’s platform, powered by Watson, to use data, patterns and natural language to provide cognitive advice and learn from experience. Margaret Hartigan, chief executive of Marstone, says […]
TSAM 2016: Tsunami of regulation and immature data handling are major pains
It was a sense of déjà vu at TSAM (The Summit for Asset Management) 2016 in London yesterday (15 March), as the industry still says it is facing a “tsunami of regulation”. The event brought around 300 delegates, vendors and speakers to London’s Lancaster Hotel. All there to network, and discuss trends and issues in […]
Virtus Partners live with new lending platform from Misys
Texas-based asset administrator, Virtus Partners, has gone live with new back office lending system, FusionBanking LoanIQ, supplied by Misys. The new platform supports full-service agency administration and bank portfolio loan administration. It covers SME, commercial and syndicated lending. The contract was signed in November last year. The implementation work took around three months and came […]
Fiserv fine tunes Unified Wealth Platform
Fiserv has added new advisor portfolio management and trading technology to its Unified Wealth Platform. The single platform is used for portfolio management, trading, accounting and reporting for managed accounts. The company says over 5,000 advisors and users supporting rep as portfolio manager (RPM) or rep as advisor (RPA) programmes have migrated to the “enhanced” […]
Calastone launches global fund distribution solution, Data Services
London-based Calastone, the global funds transaction network, has launched Data Services, a market intelligence solution for fund managers. Calastone says that MiFID II, the European regulatory framework designed to “improve the transparency and oversight of financial markets”, is moving responsibility to understand the distribution chain from distributors and platform providers to fund managers. Rob Swan, […]
Fidessa bullish in rough markets
Trading platform provider Fidessa has reported a growth in revenue in 2015 up 7%, rising to £295.5 million up from £275 million in 2014, despite the reduction and closure of many sell-side trading operations over the last 12 months. The firm notes that the closure of the Jefferies Group’s Bache futures unit and Standard Chartered […]
Goldman Sachs new electronic market-making unit for FICC
Goldman Sachs has launched a new FICC Systematic Market Making (SMM) unit. SMM will consolidate its e-trading assets and capabilities across FICC. The move was reported in an internal memo as reflecting changes in market structure and client needs. The memo, signed by several executives including group chief information officer Martin Chavez, says, “Our ability to […]
Markit buys syndicated loan tech from JP Morgan
Markit has acquired systems integration software developed by JP Morgan. The provider of financial information services will make the software available to buy- and sell-side institutions seeking to integrate with major systems used in the syndicated loan market, including agent servicing platforms and Markit’s trade settlement services. Facilitating systems integration is an important step toward […]
AllianceBernstein tracking fixed-income execution with Interactive Data
Investment manager AllianceBernstein is working with Interactive Data, to help evaluate its trade execution quality and perform transaction cost analysis (TCA). The work will be done across various mutual funds and separately managed portfolios using Interactive Data’s Best Execution (Best Ex) service. The service leverages its Continuous Evaluated Fixed-Income Pricing to run TCA for fixed-income […]
Tradeweb Launches US ETF Trading Platform
Fixed income market operator Tradeweb has launched an electronic over-the-counter (OTC) marketplace for US-listed exchange traded funds (ETFs). The firm says the platform tackles some of the challenges inherent in institutional OTC trading such as pre-trade price transparency, operational efficiency and access to institutional-size liquidity. Tradeweb clients will be able to use the platform to […]
EU securities financing regulation imminent
On 12 January new EU regulations on securities financing will take effect. Local regulators including France’s AMF have warned financial institutions to be ready for the new rules, which require greater transparency.
US T+2 migration guidance published
An “Implementation Playbook” detailing the timeline, milestones and dependencies involved in migrating the US equities, fixed income and unit trust markets to a two-day settlement cycle has been published by the T+2 Industry Steering Committee.
Why 2016 is the year asset managers must take back control
There is an uncanny similarity between Prime Minster David Cameron’s emphasis of moving from a “low wage, high tax, high welfare society to a higher wage, lower tax, and lower welfare society” and a shifting focus among the asset management community.
RSRCHXchange launch targets MiFID II research reforms
A new online market for buying and selling financial research has gone live in Europe. Focused on providing buy-side firms with more transparency, the new RSRCHXexchange is based in the cloud and is aimed at helping institutions comply with MiFID II research unbundling requirements.
Project Neptune pilot goes live
Project Neptune, the fixed income trading initiative between a group of 42 large banks and asset managers, has gone live with its pilot production network, bringing the project closer to its ‘hard’ platform later this year.
