Middle and Back Office Solutions Insights

By definition, corporate process optimisation propelled by digital transformation is a continuous effort. Technology innovation, pressure to stay ahead of the competition, and evolving customer needs demand enterprise act. Despite potential internal resistance, doubts and concerns about taking the leap forward, the real challenge is to stay... read more

From time to time I find myself in front of a small asset management firm that is considering a best-of-breed investment reporting solution.   Usually the key driver for such firms (with, say, AuM of under £10bn) dipping their toes in the water is that they are beginning to scale up their investment management operations and are... read more

With a further delay to the EU’s Central Securities Depositories Regulation (CSDR) just announced, market participants and tech vendors face an uncertain future. “There’s a level of uncertainty and to be able to plan for that is hard. Do you carry on, or do you wait? More time is great and broadly welcomed, but there’s a... read more

US fintechs may seek out full purpose banking licenses as litigation continues to cloud the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC’s) fintech charter. The issuance of a banking charter to digital bank Varo this month could inspire US fintechs to reconsider their strategies, according to Michael Breslin, partner and Fintech... read more

Market participants are still struggling with aspects of strong customer authentication (SCA) ahead of the December 31 deadline, according to payment service providers (PSPs). “At the beginning it was very misunderstood from the perspective that it [was thought to be] the same as two-factor authentication, or something just about securing... read more

Capital markets firms are under pressure to increase efficiency and reduce operational costs, particularly as the world deals with the pandemic. A key metric of efficiency in our industry is cost per trade – but how much are firms actively controlling it? A recent industry survey showed that 81 percent of brokers and banks think it is... read more

The US payments landscape is in the midst of significant change. A spark of new capabilities – comprising existing payment rails introducing new developments, the dawn of real-time payments and the emergence of innovative overlay services – is transforming the entire payments ecosystem. What’s more, with the current challenging... read more

Combatting financial crime has long been an arduous process. Conducting face to face investigations on the ground far and wide and rifling through masses of paperwork places a huge burden on the time and resources of financial organisations.   These traditional forensic techniques may produce results in the end, but not without considerable... read more

It might feel like a lifetime ago, but think back to the last time you visited a restaurant with friends. How did you split the bill? Multiple cards and scribbled math to calculate how much everyone owed? Was it a mix of some paying cash and others using cards? Did you have to sit and wait for change? Even before the pandemic, many people had... read more