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For years, asset managers have invested heavily in technology. There are systems for portfolio management, fund accounting, CRM, market data, compliance, document production, reporting, websites, client portals and much more. Each performs an important role, yet many firms still struggle with disconnected processes, duplicated data, manual intervention and growing operational complexity. The issue is rarely the absence of technology. More often, it is the lack of coordination

One of the most expensive mistakes an asset manager can make is replacing the wrong system. When operational complexity starts to slow a business down, it's tempting to point the finger at the oldest application in the technology estate. The logic seems straightforward: if a system feels outdated, replacing it must be the answer. In reality, it rarely is. Many legacy systems continue to perform exactly the job they were designed to do. They calculate accurately, hold trusted

For decades, regulatory compliance in asset management was primarily treated as a document problem. A regulatory change triggered updates to prospectuses, KIIDs, factsheets and reporting templates. Operationally, success was measured by whether firms could coordinate reviews, approvals and publication deadlines accurately and on time. Those responsibilities still matter. But the regulatory environment surrounding them is changing fundamentally. Increasingly, regulation is

Originally published by FundSense CEO, Jamie Keen, on LinkedIn There’s a phrase that everyone involved in enterprise software buying or selling has heard: “Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.” Asset management has its own version of this: the bigger vendor must be the safer vendor. During my career selling for some of the industry’s largest technology providers, I certainly benefited from that perception. But after starting FundSense with the ambition of doing things bette

Written by Martin Jones, Head of Product at FundSense In asset management, operational complexity rarely appears suddenly. More often, it accumulates gradually - one workaround, spreadsheet and manual control at a time. A reporting process evolves around the requirements of a key distributor. A spreadsheet is introduced to bridge a gap between systems. Product updates are coordinated informally between teams because “everyone knows how it works”. A temporary reconciliation p

With Jamie Keen and Mike Hilton Asset managers rarely begin a technology project because everything is working well. The trigger is usually visible before the root cause is understood. Teams are working long hours. Errors are increasing. Costs are rising. Information is difficult to obtain when it is needed. Processes no longer feel fit for purpose. At that point, technology can feel like the natural answer. But if the process is not properly understood, automation can

Why Fragmentation Creates Regulatory Exposure and How to Gain Visibility Safely Most asset managers believe their product data is under control. The problem is not that this belief is wrong. It’s that it is rarely tested across the full data landscape. Each system is governed. Each dataset is validated. Each team understands its role. Viewed in isolation, the data is often accurate and defensible. The difficulty begins when those views are brought together. Across the indust

Asset managers are rethinking prospectus operations as fragmented, document-led processes struggle to scale under regulatory pressure. A data-first model, underpinned by governed product data and workflow orchestration, improves consistency, reduces risk and accelerates delivery across jurisdictions. The shift is no longer about document efficiency, but building controlled, audit-ready operational infrastructure.

This article was developed jointly by FundSense and Investment Solutions Consultants (ISC) , reflecting the strategic and operational perspectives we are seeing in early Consumer Composite Investments (CCI) discussions across the market. Most firms preparing for the Consumer Composite Investments regime believe they understand what the rules require. In technical terms, they usually do. The uncertainty does not lie in the regulation itself. It lies in what the regime demand

By Christoph Napetschnig, Head of Data, FundSense In today’s fund industry, product data has moved from the back office to the centre of the business. It is no longer just an operational necessity. It is the foundation of trust, compliance, and growth. Every fund, share class, or investment vehicle carries a dense web of attributes, including: core identifiers such as fund name, ISIN and domicile; investment features such as objectives, benchmarks and risk classifications

Why CCI Feels Different from the Inside CCI is often described as a disclosure reform. From inside an asset manager or bank, it feels different. Not because the rules are unfamiliar, but because they place sustained pressure on operating models that were designed for periodic review rather than continuous alignment. Regulatory change rarely fails because firms misunderstand the regulation. It fails when new expectations collide with data structures, governance processes, an

Author: Mikkel Bates, Senior Board Adviser, FundSense On 8 December, the FCA published its final rules on pre-contractual “product summaries” for CCIs, its chosen term to replace UCITS and PRIIPs. On the back of 320 responses to its Consultation Papers CP24/30 and CP25/9, it was almost inevitable that the final rules would look different from the earlier proposals. The long, painful birth and short, troubled life of PRIIPs KIDs have shown how hard it is to devise a standardi

By Mikkel Bates, Senior Board Adviser, FundSense Although ESG ratings sit upstream of most investor disclosures, their methodologies have long been opaque. With this consultation, the FCA is signalling a shift toward greater transparency and governance, with consequences for every firm relying on these ratings for product disclosures, due diligence and distribution. Since ESG disclosures were first mooted for financial firms, there have been questions around the independence

Since 1 January 2023, the transition from the UCITS KIID to the PRIIPs KID has transformed how European funds communicate performance, risk and cost to retail investors.

The next 12-18 months will bring final CCI rules, clarifications on cost disclosures, and practical implementation guidance. But the direction is already clear: investor disclosure is becoming more dynamic, visual, and data-centric.

Data may be the lifeblood of asset management, but too often it flows through fragile systems held together by spreadsheets and manual checks. In this article, Christoph Napetschnig, Head of Data at FundSense, explores the hidden weaknesses in fund data operations, the risks of manual handling, and why true transformation depends on automation, governance and standardisation.

June 2025 First published in Fintech Weekly The asset management industry is moving beyond spreadsheets. Modular, integrated systems are...

March 2023 Organisational silos are by no means unique to the asset management industry, but the impact on the sector is clear, as are...

September 2022 Within the buy-side there is a strong argument for committing fund data into a single repository, fit for any purpose –...

June 2022 Ask any investment management firm how they manage processes across the organisation, and more often than not, at some point...