Has your business had its operational and IT health check?In today’s health conscious society we are all focused on eating low fat, zero carb and sugar free diets; maybe now it’s time to extend this focus to the health and wellbeing of our operational and IT environments? Running inefficient IT and operational environments will increase... MORE
The world today is full of cycles. There are stock market highs and lows, periods of good and bad weather even apparent cycles of good luck and bad luck. We hear about certain kinds of cycles every day “The Dow is up”, “We’re having a warming trend”, “The economy is down”. But while we commonly... MORE
It is important to remember that wealth management is not an island but part of a wider ecosystem. In a world where consumers have become accustomed to highly personalised and efficient service facilitated through technology, they will expect nothing less from their wealth managers. Currently HNWIs give a very poor rating to the experience they... MORE
As we approach the end of the year, it’s time to take stock of the major ‘flavours’ of 2011 and assess the industry’s position for the year to come. Perhaps the biggest theme of the past year was global market uncertainty. From a fintech perspective, this created renewed interest in technology solutions to deliver heightened... MORE
ASFA estimates there are around 14 million people in Australia holding superannuation accounts; however, there is more than double this number of accounts sitting with funds. The average ratio of accounts to people in Australia is over two to one. Measures are planned to auto-consolidate these accounts and reduce the number of lost accounts. These... MORE
From the beginning of October 2011, independent third-party distributors and locally incorporated foreign banks have been able to apply for a licence to distribute funds in China, following deregulation of the industry. This represents a significant step towards opening the People’s Republic of China (PRC) fund distribution market. Since 2010 China ranks as the world’s... MORE
Within the wealth management industry, regulation is constantly tightening and the client service delivery bar is relentlessly being raised. This invariably puts strain on the bottom line. To combat these effects, the industry increasingly looks to reduce operating costs and increase efficiencies by implementing technology. However, along with the benefits that come from modern IT,... MORE
Rapid expansion in the use of web enabled mobile devices is fuelling the popularity of mobile enabled websites. A recent Celent report ‘So What If There Is an App? A Survey of Insurance Consumers’ shows that 100 percent of 18 – 29 year olds claim they would use a life insurance app if it met... MORE
The superannuation industry in Australia is characterised by continuous change. Over the years funds have adapted to accommodate (then abolish) Reasonable Benefit Limits (RBL), Contribution Surcharge and Simpler Super within Australia, as well as to accommodate international issues such as Sarbanes Oxley and Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and we wait with baited breath for the potential... MORE
Globalisation of the funds industry has become an increasingly hot topic amongst transfer agents, with an escalating need to manage multiple currencies and multiple time zones. Global custody provision is not a new practice, and this model is extending rapidly to transfer agency service provision. As the sector consolidates its platforms, there is an increasing... MORE