Author: Luuk Jacobs

News: A-Lab Solutions integrates Reseo corporate e-Business ID solution with Temenos Multifonds

Posted on by Luuk Jacobs

PRESS RELEASE

A-Lab Solutions integrates Reseo corporate e-Business ID solution with Temenos Multifonds

Portable AML/KYC corporate e-Business ID enables swift execution of client onboarding, reducing timeframe from weeks to days

November 28, 2024: A-Lab Solutions, the London-based fintech, today announced the integration of Reseo corporate e-Business ID with Temenos Multifonds, the global, best-in-class fund accounting and investor servicing solution.

The Reseo e-Business ID solution brings with it a wealth of benefits for the Investment Funds industry. Once corporate owners – mainly Distributors, Distributor Platforms or Institutional Investors – create a unique e-ID, all their up to date AML/KYC information and documentation is in one place, perpetually up-to-date and portable. Using Reseo, corporate e-ID owners are able to select a counter party to exchange information with – mainly a Transfer Agent – and meet the specific requirements of the counterparty, creating transparency, speed, continuous compliance and doing away with a predominantly paper-based process. It enables faster transacting and making optimal use of investment opportunities in the market.

On the other hand, Transfer Agents – which are Temenos Multifonds’ clients – can integrate the perpetual e-ID directly into their onboarding platform in real-time  through event-driven architecture and standard Multifonds APIs, reducing the AML/KYC verification from on average 4-5 weeks to a matter of minutes, removing the headaches of friction, duplication, misunderstanding and delays in opening investment accounts, therefore saving significant cost as well as time.

Temenos Multifonds on SaaS allows A-Lab Solutions to incorporate Reseo with all Transfer Agents using Multifonds, in a more secure, confidential, cost-effective and sustainable way.  The breadth and depth of the Temenos Multifonds service, with Reseo incorporated, will help lower the Total Cost of Ownership as the upgrades of infrastructure are part of the service.

“We are very pleased to announce that our Reseo e-Business ID solution integrates with Temenos Multifonds SaaS,” said Pierre-Yves Rahari, Director and Co-founder, A-Lab Solutions. “We have designed Reseo to turn the onboarding AML/KYC process into a more customer-friendly, efficient, technology based yet strongly compliant experience, and we are delighted to find in Temenos an industry partner that shares this vision with us.”

Sern Tham, Global Product Director, Temenos Multifonds, commented: “We’re excited to see A-Lab Solutions leverage Temenos Multifonds for an integrated, efficient onboarding solution that significantly improves the client experience for both Transfer Agents and investors. By incorporating Reseo’s corporate e-business ID with Multifonds, our clients benefit from streamlined, highly secure onboarding that reduces AML/KYC processing times from weeks to minutes. This collaboration aligns with our commitment to providing best-in-class fund administration technology that fosters agility and operational efficiency across the investment industry.”

On a single platform, Temenos Multifonds supports traditional and alternative funds and combines key asset servicing, position keeping, valuation and accounting functions for all structures of pooled vehicles and funds, across multiple jurisdictions.

The Temenos Multifonds solution won the Fund Services Partnership of the Year at the Global Custodian Industry Leaders Awards 2024 and has received the award for Best Integrated Back-Office Platform at the WatersTechnology Buy-Side Technology Awards for three years in a row.

Ends

Investment Management industry professionals wanting to contact Reseo to find out more or book a demo should get in contact here:

Pierre-Yves Rahari by phone: + 44 (0) 7454 006638 or by email: psrahari@reseo.global

Press Enquiries: Eva Keogan ekeogan@reseo.global +44 (0) 7790 841538

 

Industry conferences: Where innovation meets trust

Posted on by Luuk Jacobs

We’ve been attending several high-profile industry conferences recently and have noted some clear trends emerge, namely in the discussion around data, products and services. The Financial Services industry is looking at how it can harvest the value of all the data it holds and equally how new insights of these data, and the data itself can, or should be used to create the new products and services of the coming decade.

With data comes great responsibility and the need for trust.

New technologies often claim that their objectives are to reduce the need for trusted intermediators, arbitration costs, and fraud losses, as well as the reduction of malicious and accidental exceptions.

Not only do we believe that trust remains critical to ensure users’ funds and personal information are secure but equally that the technology proves that they can be trusted in replacing the intermediaries.

Here are three examples of where innovation meets trust;

Tokenisation

Tokenisation is a huge opportunity which relies on trust. It is important as an aid to the wider adoption of alternative assets by broadening the accessibility and appeal of alternative asset classes. This means they can be brought to a broader group of investors and even to the retail sector. What is currently holding it back from adoption is not so much the technology, but the regulation around investor suitability and ability to trade as well as liquidity requirements.

Alternative assets often have long term capital and investment horizons (>5 years) and therefore need an aligned commitment of the investors. Tokenisation can (partly) compensate for the capital commitment ie a £100 million building can be tokenised into smaller parts to invest in. Equally the tokens will be easier to trade if and only if regular valuation is trusted and reliable.

Smart contracts

A smart contract is, despite its name, not a legal agreement but instead a series of transactions which are automatically self-executed by a computer programme, according to the terms of a contract or an agreement.

The smart contract runs autonomously, requires no need for manipulation by humans, as is the case with paper contracts, and there are no intermediaries. According to this definition, trust is not a requirement because the blockchain automatically executes the contract once terms are met.

We beg to differ. It most certainly can be argued that if the smart contract does not deliver the expected outcome, the trust is quickly lost.

As comparison is often made between a smart contract and a vending machine in which you put a certain amount of money and choose a certain product with a push on a button. If the smart contract would not execute in line with the price indicated and choice of product, the vending machine (smart contract) would not be trusted.

Another example often used for comparison of a smart contract is that of currency exchange. High street banks were known for charging significant exchange fees and tried to compete with neo banks by incorporating these fees within the exchange rate offered. The “smart” contract was quickly seen for what it was and trust in the process was lost.

Blockchain, Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)

Blockchain is another technology which is boosting the shift towards digitalisation in finance. Often associated with crypto currencies, the use goes well beyond that.

Blockchain is not a single-player game it is a team sport. Therefore, organisations that insist on forging ahead to create their own blockchain solutions are likely to be disappointed. There is little value to be had from a blockchain that only has one participant. The value of a blockchain lies in its participants and the extent to which they commit to the platform.

The original purpose of blockchain technology was to enable the transfer of value within trust-less networks, where the different parties did not have to trust each other to conduct transactions involving the exchange of value1.

However today, blockchain solutions require a network of parties to agree to use the network, agree on the underlying business processes that will govern the network, and then to integrate their systems with the network. Without trust between the parties, in the processes and governance of it the willingness to integrate the party’s system within the blockchain network are unlikely to happen. Equally, the processes need to be fit for blockchain purpose and need to fulfil the requirements of reliable, repeatable and at speed.

Innovation and trust as equal partners

In today’s world, the distribution chain consists still of processes that are paper based, convoluted and do not actively involve all parties. Innovation and digitalisation are more than often initiated from an efficiency point of view and less so from the perspective of effectiveness of the overall chain.

Although all of the above examples of innovative technologies may claim trust is not a requirement because the technology automatically executes the transaction once terms are met, it is clear trust in the technology itself is paramount.

Crypto currencies over the past decade have suffered significantly from the lack of trust in its technology or the companies executing it.

We therefore believe that innovation only thrives when it is coupled with a foundation of trust, ensuring the new ideas are accepted, adopted, and sustained over time.

Game changing innovation in Investment Management today – lessons from the Paris Olympics

Posted on by Luuk Jacobs

With the Paris Olympics just behind us and the Paralympics still to come, much has been said already about how different the staging and infrastructure of the event were.

The opening ceremony gave us a taste of what was to come. Landmarks – from the Seine to the Eiffel Tower – were used to showcase Paris and other locations in an exciting and bold new light. Technology played a starring role too. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) deployed AI in a variety of ways including using it to safeguard against cyber abuse, to manage its energy management system and for new ways to identify talent.

This step change came about due to a distinct set of new criteria the games must now comply with. The new measures are social, environmental and economic, with fostering gender equality and legacy elements also playing a part. Hosts must now be more sustainable by using a maximum of existing and temporary venues.

These new constraints fostered rather than hindered innovation, making the Paris 2024 games a launchpad for a modern Olympics.

How does this relate to innovation in Investment Management? First, it is no secret our industry is highly regulated. We face the challenges of constraint and compliance as a result. Second, we should take a cue from the Olympics and not let these challenges hinder progress, they are an excellent catalyst for innovation.

Let’s define innovation. At Reseo, we believe innovation is the process of bringing about new ideas, methods, products, services, or solutions that have a significant positive impact and value. It involves transforming creative concepts into tangible outcomes that improve efficiency, and effectiveness, or address unmet needs. It is also about having an innovative mindset and bringing together diverse skills and thinking to create bold new solutions and industry firsts.

How can we foster the same behaviour, attitudes and outcomes in Investment Management?
When thinking about innovation, it is essential to look beyond technological advancements. Innovation encompasses many things from novel approaches to problem-solving, processes, organisational practices, to new business models and product development.

5 Key components of successful innovation 

Fantastic ideas take lots of work to bring into fruition. There are many stages, challenges and often setbacks, but we see successful innovation in organisations all the time and they all have these approaches in common:

  1. Innovation-led – the resources and infrastructure of a big company are not necessarily better than those of a bootstrapping start up. The size of the firm does not matter. Prioritising innovation as a key business objective does.
  2. Nurture – organisations, be they startups or large corporates, must foster a culture of innovation by keeping people motivated and rewarded.
  3. Diversity of thought – being open to all ideas from everyone, both inside and outside the organisation, engenders diverse thinking and better results. On top of this the organisation must implement and put this thinking into practice, listen to and gather feedback, adapt and then incorporate this into the innovation, or if necessary to pivot.
  4. Freedom to invent – innovation comes from testing, prototyping, and going back to the drawing board. Therefore understanding and managing the inherent key risks and uncertainties of innovation are important, but not to the level that it stifles progress.
  5. Acceleration – having the courage and commitment to drive the initial idea to a successful execution involves risk-taking, empowerment, agility and leading by example but it must also be timely. Innovation underpins competitive advantage but only if you keep ahead of the pack by being first to market.

 Innovation in focus 

When it comes to the focus of innovation, we always ask ourselves who is it for ultimately? Is it the end user, and who really benefits?The Investment Management industry has seen enormous innovation over the years. Fund Management tools have had a huge impact on how the analysis of investment opportunities and performance is being carried out – everybody wins.

The pandemic triggered significant innovation due to the constraints of lockdown. The in-person sales process was changed forever. Meetings with the market and clients over a coffee were replaced by automated digital tools, not just Zoom, Teams and the like, but also the analysis of investor preferences and their next likely step for investing in specific strategies. This ‘needs must’ scenario was a digital adoption learning curve for everyone.

We are now experiencing generational change where different needs drive demand for new solutions. The Investment Management industry has to meet the needs of Boomers who hold the biggest assets but are not seen as particularly tech savvy. The emerging digital natives are data hungry and want user friendly apps to manage their investment and to know everything about their investments too. There is no one-size fits all here.

Elsewhere, disruptors and trail blazers have changed the world we live in and have shown great innovation that our industry could emulate.

The travel agent has vanished from the high street with the advent of Airbnb, records and CDs have been largely replaced by Spotify, retailers by Amazon. Netflix has made DVDs obsolete, and so on.

This raises the question of disruption in our sector – and what if the IFA should soon disappear, and if so, how? What shape or form would this take?

Which leads me to my final point. Not all innovation is necessarily a plus for the ultimate client or the industry itself.
What then is the message for the Investment Industry when considering innovation? We think these are the two key questions to be raised:

  • Should innovation be focused on the benefit of the company or should the focus be on the benefit of the customer?
  • Is the focus of the innovation on reducing cost or on better service to the client;

Company and client focus are in our view not mutually exclusive here and innovation should benefit both parties. We also believe in keeping an eye on the future and the new innovations on offer. A constant appetite for entrepreneurialism and change will help protect against disruption in the financial sector too.

The industry must be open to turning constraint and compliance into a competitive advantage. This can lead to highly positive outcomes as we have seen with the Paris Olympics and among many of our peers.

 

A-Lab Solutions announces its inclusion in the FCA Regulatory Sandbox

Posted on by Luuk Jacobs

A-Lab Solutions has been accepted into the FCA Regulatory Sandbox, to test its B2B corporate investor-centric Reseo e-Business ID solution (Reseo), which recently launched into the market for the Investment Management industry.  

“We are very pleased to announce that we are undertaking a programme of testing for our Reseo e-Business ID solution (Reseo), as part of the FCA’s regulatory sandbox. The regulatory sandbox allows firms to test innovative offerings in a live environment,” said Luuk Jacobs, Director and Co-Founder, A-Lab Solutions. 

A-Lab Solutions will carry out testing in a period of up to six months. During this time, the Reseo e-Business ID solution will be rigorously tested in a live environment with companies in the investment management industry. 

“This is an important programme for us as we establish Reseo in the market. We are delighted to be part of Sandbox where we get access to the FCA’s globally respected regulatory expertise, and believe it sets the bar. As such, we will be testing and developing Reseo to very high standards which will be on par with the other demanding jurisdictions where Reseo will be operation in internationally.” said Pierre-Yves Rahari, Director and Co-Founder, A-Lab Solutions. 

About the Regulatory Sandbox 

The Regulatory Sandbox provides innovators, both incumbents and new players, access to regulatory expertise and gives firms: 

  • The ability to test products and services in a controlled environment 
  • The opportunity to find out whether a business model is attractive to consumers, or how a particular technology works in the market 
  • A reduced time to market at potentially lower cost 
  • Support in identifying consumer protection safeguards that can be built into new products and services 
  • More information on the FCA’s regulatory sandbox can be found here. 

Investment Management industry professionals wanting to contact Reseo to find out more about the regulatory sandbox testing, wanting to be part of the testing, or wishing to book a demo should, get in contact here:  

Pierre-Yves Rahari by phone: + 44 (0) 7454 006638 or by email: psrahari@reseo.global 

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