Investment, Asset & Fund Management


Aegon opts for Wolters Kluwer’s OneSumX for operational risk

Pension, insurance and investment management firm Aegon is replacing its local risk systems with Wolters Kluwer’s OneSumX for operational risk management. Charles Garthwaite, global head of operational and conduct risk at Aegon, says his company needed “a global solution” that could “comprehensively manage Aegon’s requirements”. Following local implementations in the UK and within its asset […]

Wealthtech is coming to the High Street

For those in employed in financial services, technology has always been important – integrated systems for operations and execution have been with us for decades. But to the banking customer at a High Street branch the advances in technology may not be obvious. However, slowly and surely innovations from the fintech sector are filtering down to the mass-market.

State Street unveils Quantextual Idea Lab for investment research

State Street has launched its Quantextual Idea Lab, a hybrid of machine learning and human knowledge, for improved investment research. According to the firm, investment professionals are inundated with research reports from the sell side, the buy side and academia. It reckons financial research teams can produce enough content to consume 24 reams or 12,000 […]

Nasdaq buys analytics provider eVestment for $705m

Nasdaq will acquire eVestment, a content and analytics provider used by asset managers and investment consultants, for $705 million funded through a mix of debt and cash on hand. According to Nasdaq, eVestment provides investors a database for both traditional and alternative strategies, including 2,800 individual data points on more than 74,000 investment vehicles. eVestment […]

SimCorp bags three wins in asset and investment management space

SimCorp is smiling as it’s secured three sweet wins in the asset and investment management space with C WorldWide Asset Management, Novo Holdings and FIIG Securities. Denmark-based C WorldWide Asset Management (formerly Carnegie Asset Management) has extended its Dimension licence agreement to include Data Warehouse Manager and will be replacing its current reporting solution with SimCorp Coric’s […]

Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 1 August 2017

The world of blockchain and Bitcoin rumbles on with patents, platforms and positives. Our latest round-up features Bank of America, Blackmoon Financial Group, and research from Cognizant. Bank of America (BofA) has filed three new patents using blockchain. On the US Patent & Trademark Office’s website it now reveals the details. Some of the patents […]

Broadridge buys data and intelligence firm Spence Johnson

Broadridge Financial Solutions will acquire Spence Johnson, a provider of institutional data and intelligence, for its asset management market ambitions. With the purchase, Broadridge says its Global Market Intelligence, a platform for retail cross-border fund data and analytics, will be able to use Spence Johnson’s Money in Motion dataset that provides analytics on assets, flows […]

Jabre Capital turns to Broadridge for risk management

Asset management firm Jabre Capital Partners has chosen Broadridge’s integrated trading, portfolio management, and risk management platform to help manage its front, middle and back-office operations. Broadridge says its solution will enable Jabre to streamline and automate workflow, and help meet its pre- and post-trade compliance requirements while providing connectivity to brokers and EMS platforms. […]

CFSI, Chase Seek Fintech Startups for Financial Health Awards

Fintech entrepreneurs still have a few weeks left to win financial backing from two big players in the payment space. The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) and JPMorgan Chase’s Financial Solutions Lab (FinLab) plan to award $250,000 to programs that help consumers build financial health, “with a special focus on those communities that are frequently underserved, such as older Americans, communities of color, people with disabilities and products that address the gender wealth gap.”

Linedata adds a touch of Gravitas

Investment management software firm Linedata has acquired Gravitas Technology Services, a provider of middle office and technology services to the asset management industry. Gravitas is based mainly in New York and Mumbai, and the deal is part of Linedata’s ambitions in North America. It follows last year’s purchase of fellow investment management software provider, Derivation. […]

Vermilion Software and Cymba Technologies acquired by FactSet

Factset, a US-based provider of financial information and analytics software to the investment management industry, has completed two acquisitions. These are Vermilion Software, a client reporting and communications software specialist and Cymba Technologies, which focuses on asset and investment management software and solutions.

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]