Category: Article

Tech: Employees growth and adaptability in the workplace

Posted on by Melanie Lopes

In today’s era, technology is an essential part of everyone’s daily life. Especially since COVID-19 came by and introduced hybrid and remote working. Many employees have the opportunity to grow in companies because they have personalised goals and targets that they want to achieve. Companies have required resources that can be beneficial, which are mainly online. However, many employees have the initiative to grow outside by using online learning free platforms, amongst other things, that are available for them.

It is important that everyone adapts to the new trends in tech, as there are many new innovative technologies coming out. For example, AI and ChatGPT have benefits to help staff grow and expand their learning abilities, even though there might be some controversial aspects.

Many people fear that tech such as AI is taking over people’s jobs. A study carried out by the CNBC SurveyMonkey Workforce survey shows that 60% of people who use AI daily are scared of how much this could impact them by losing their jobs. With approximately 300 million jobs that could be affected globally, because of the vast growth of new innovative technology in the markets (Kelly, 2024).[i] However, technology can be very beneficial; let’s explore how.

Upscaling learning skills and well-being:

The development and growth of employees play a great part in the involvement of technology. With all the different online platforms, employees have a great advantage in learning more than expected. Webinars, courses, modules, free e-learning, ebooks and many more are resources available for employees to obtain and adapt in the workplace.

Whilst an employee achieves their goals, it is also important that they monitor their well-being. This is another area where technology can help employees while prospering. This is based on their productivity and innovation, especially while working on big projects, to adapt their work and well-being efficiently, where special platforms help them balance stress and work.

Communication and collaboration:

In today’s workplace, we have a greater frequency of working remotely and a hybrid environment by using Teams, Zoom and other communication platforms, allowing it to be easier to communicate all over the world. For example, Reseo, where everyone is located in other locations. Through emails, meetings, staff have the opportunity to strengthen their relationships with their teams by allowing flexible hours for both parties, which can potentially foster collaboration.

Whilst this happens, a lot of knowledge and experience is shared amongst everyone, making it easier to adapt to different environments when working on projects. Microsoft 365 allows the workflow among employees to be easier, faster and more efficient, allowing staff to adapt to new ways of working.

Automatic processes and making decisions:

At Reseo, this is one of the areas that is most used at work. With workflows like CRMS systems, it is easier to monitor, record and analyse data. They can detect data that we might need. Where it’s more detailed and automated, to create other materials such as reports or charts from the data detected and imputed. Making it easier for staff to make decisions smartly and faster due to the help that these systems provide

Overall, technology and digitalisation are important for the daily use of employees to understand, learn, monitor and enable when working.

 

 

[i] Kelly, J. (2024a). Workers Who Use Artificial Intelligence Are More Likely To Fear That AI May Replace Them. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2024/01/08/workers-who-use-artificial-intelligence-are-more-likely-to-fear-that-ai-may-replace-them/.

 

Cost of AML KYC processing: Changing the paradigm 

Posted on by Melanie Lopes

Costs of processing AML KYC are spiralling out of control, and a straightforward digitalisation of existing operations is no longer sufficient to tame these costs. A change of paradigm is now required. That is our belief at Reseo.

In today’s world, it is hard to keep abreast with the changing technology landscape in the investment management industry, let alone the regulation that aims to ensure that technology is not having negative impacts on the investor.

AI is portrayed as the holy grail and at the forefront of every technological development, whereas the EU is issuing a myriad of regulations to ensure the technology is used ethically, which benefits the interest of the consumer and takes into account the privacy of data of individuals.

Some of the regulations already in force or are coming into force in this area are the AI Act (Nov-‘26), Cyber Resilience Act (Dec ‘27), Financial Data Access Regulation (FIDA, Jul ‘25), European Data Act (Sept ’25) and the recently enforce DORA (Jan ’25).

It all can give a feeling that whenever a new technology is being deployed to either improve products, increase client services or save costs, additional costs are incurred to comply with new or changed regulations.

AML KYC cost

The above is definitely applicable to complying with AML KYC regulations. The investment management industry being used for Money Laundering / Terrorist Financing (MLTF) is getting even more sophisticated and could undermine the trust, which is paramount, in the industry. The projected total cost of financial crime across financial institutions worldwide is $274.1 billion, which is an increase of $60 billion in only two years. On top of that fines reached a whopping peak of $12 billion In 2021[1].

Against this sophistication of MLTF stands the still “paper” based process of gathering data to combat MLTF combined with recording the assessment through workflow driven files and data depositories, making for a high risk and costly compliance with regulation.

Digitalisation has been focussing on existing workflows and has not necessarily addressed the inherent inefficiencies of those workflows, whereas the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) are a further spoke in the wheel. This limits the exchange of data, causing the industry to continue to duplicate data exchange, verification and approval.

A rethink is due

We are all used to travelling the globe and handing over our passports at the border (sometimes with a visa obtained through the internet) to get access to the country we want to visit. Access to multiple countries with only one border check is possible through agreements like Schengen. Yes, participation and collaboration of all stakeholders is paramount and necessary and proven possible.

If the EU can achieve this why would the investment management industry not be able to get this done as well ie create something similar for getting easy access to financial services and investing.

Automating or digitalising is already an inefficient process, and workflows do not sufficiently address the spiralling costs, the fast changing environment and the increasing risk posed by sophisticated MLTF. A rethink is due.

At Reseo we think this is possible and to that end, we have created the e-ID, a go anywhere digital corporate passport. No endless requesting and sending around the documents and data that need to be verified, they are all captured and kept up to date in one corporate e-ID, verified by the e-ID Owner, confirmed by Reseo and approved by the e-ID User.

Taking out duplication, using state of the art AI, creating transparency for all participants, making compliance perpetual, reducing materially the cost and keeping or even heightening the trust in the industry and all its stakeholders.

A worthwhile cause to change the paradigm.

 

 

[1] LexisNexis: True cost of financial crimecompliance global study, 2023

Yalta is not a fatality in AML/KYC processing

Posted on by Melanie Lopes

There have been several moments in financial history where key decisions were made by dominant players, leaving smaller or less powerful participants feeling sidelined, similar to how smaller European nations felt after the Yalta conferences held at the end of World War II.

Bretton Woods in 1944, or more recently the Greek bailout in 2010 are other examples that come to mind. At Bretton Woods, the U.S. and the U.K. dominated discussions about the post-war financial system, leading to the creation of the IMF and the World Bank, as well as the establishment of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency.

Smaller countries had limited influence in shaping the system, and many felt they were expected to accept the rules set by the major powers. In the Greek bailout, Greece and other indebted southern European countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy) found themselves subjected to strict austerity measures imposed by the “Troika”—the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the IMF. While these policies were presented as necessary financial discipline, many Greeks felt that they had little say in the negotiations. Germany, in particular, was dictating terms that prioritised financial stability over social and economic hardship.

At Reseo, we sometimes wonder whether the same feeling of powerlessness is present in many financial services institutions that handle AML/KYC verification processes. This feeling prevents them from fully digitalising these processes, and improving efficiency, risk mitigation and the experience of client service. We think that this sentiment, which we would call the Yalta-syndrome, is not a fatality because we have seen many innovative solutions brought to the industry to help automate and digitalise parts of the AML/KYC processes.

Reseo, operating as a go-anywhere digital corporate e-ID, is one of these solutions, next to various onboarding solutions adopted by many institutions. Equally, workflow management tools are utilised in the industry and AI and machine learning are plentiful. So, what is missing, causing many financial services companies to feel left behind?

In our view, the missing part is the ability to look at all these solutions in a holistic way, by implementing them in a collaborative and connected fashion rather than as individual solutions that are operating independently. Is this due to a tradition and culture of competitiveness, or a fixation on their own efficiency with losing sight of the bigger picture of the efficiency of the market and client services as a whole? Maybe, but seeing that the AML/KYC processing is still painfully inefficient and costly, there are reasons to believe that this paradigm no longer works. So, what then?

As an industry, we probably have to move from a position where we expect an omnipotent solution to address all issues attached to processing (for example procurement of AML KYC documents and data; verification and maintenance; risk assessment and reporting; and so forth, notwithstanding the quality of client service), to the recognition that bringing several solutions to work together can be addressing the processing inefficiency for all. We believe that the benefits of doing so far outweigh the cost of inertia.

For example, when we launched Reseo, we first designed our technology solution with a focus on fund investors and administrators alike, vastly improving their onboarding experience and efficiency. We then developed with Multifonds an API model that creates the possibility to interoperate with other technology solutions. As a next step, we have enhanced our model by collaborating with business processing providers aiming to further reduce duplication in the market. Is our approach unique? Maybe not, but it serves as an example of the change paradigm that the industry requires.

As we progress on our journey, we are certain that we will cross paths with other like-minded industry players, who are equally motivated to pull minds and resources together to get things done. Because the Yalta-syndrome is not a fatality.

Let’s continue our digital Vendée Globe in 2025

Posted on by Melanie Lopes

Charlie Dalin is the winner of this year’s Vendée Globe, the two-month non-stop around the world yacht race that finished last week. Commenting on the experience upon his arrival in the port of Les Sables-d’Olonnes, France, Dalin paid homage to Jean Le Cam, one of his competitors, who stepped out of the race momentarily to rescue a stranded sailor, at the risk of losing precious time and lead in the competition. The rules of the Vendée Globe allow and foster such gestures of collaboration, by giving time back to those competitors who go out of their way to help others in distress.

Reflecting on Le Cam’s gesture, we are reminded of the immense support we received in 2024 to develop Reseo and bring our solution forward on the road of AML/KYC digitalisation. Clients, peers in the industry, team members, investors, directors, regulators, system providers, IT and AI experts, academics, journalists, industry bodies, neighbours, friends and family, and yes, competitors and many more went out of their way to lend support to Reseo’s adventure. For that, we are immensely grateful.  As in the Vendée Globe, everyone has enjoyed and gained from their experience with Reseo.

May this continue in 2025. Collaboration, communication, interoperability, connection. These are the mantras Reseo thrives on, and we believe are the bedrock to digitalising the industry. As we sail through a complex and, in many aspects, uncharted world this year, we wish we will be a Le Cam to one another.

Happy New Year,

The Reseo team

Why graduates should join startups and engage in industry activities

Posted on by Melanie Lopes

As a new graduate in the corporate world, sometimes it may be scary as you’re not used to that environment. However, for your benefit it will give you the ability to grow professionally and personally. It’s one of the most competitive industries when you start applying for jobs as a graduate. Companies require you to have experience but do not allow you to show that you are capable of doing the work even though you have little experience. So, if you have the opportunity to work in a start-up company, I advise you to take it, it will give you:

  1. A new set of skills
  2. Knowledge
  3. Insights and visuals
  4. Opportunities and beneficial advantages for the future

Start-ups such as Reseo have a unique and different way of displaying how the corporate world works. It gives you a different perspective and knowledge of your industry. You will get the full picture of how a business is run daily which is beneficial for you to understand the company’s culture, leadership and much more. It’s a fast paced environment which will help and allow you to grow as you are required to work with many responsibilities simultaneously. This helps you develop various skills such as time management, problem solving, and critical thinking.

1. A new set of skills 

One of the skills that you will have to put into practice is adaptability, which will help you learn and comprehend why it’s important to step out of your comfort zone. When you step out of your comfort zone, it allows you to see your role grow and why you add value to the company. Some other skills that you will develop are networking, making connections, innovation, and confidence especially if you get involved in industry events. Networking and making connections will help you build your reputation, and confidence and prepare you for future opportunities that come across to you. Dealing with new start-ups requires you to be creative and innovative as you bring new ideas to the company and also to the development of your role.

2. Knowledge

Knowledge is a key factor for you to understand and learn when you’re being trained. When working in a start-up, you must ask as many questions as you need to understand. As the business is growing and developing everyone is involved a bit in all of the tasks in the company. Your input and ideas are very useful because of the different perspectives you bring. Engaging in activities and events such as conferences will give you rich and valuable content for you to learn and understand why a business needs to follow a certain business model.

3. Insights and visuals

I got the opportunity to attend some key industry players in the investment industry such as the Irish Funds, ALFI, and the FCA. Attending industry events is important if you’re starting in a senior role because you get a wide variety of panel discussions and speakers. It gives you valuable visuals as you get to see and feel why and how people act/speak and dress a certain way. It provides you with key insights such as trends, challenges, solutions, and new emerging ideas in the industry.

4. Opportunities and benefits

Overall, learning and getting involved by getting out of your comfort zone can also give you beneficial opportunities for the future. It’s important that you build strong relationships with your peers and connections as they are already experts in their area. This may lead to mentoring, advice, career growth/job opportunities, support and guidance in your professional aspirations and journey. All these opportunities prepare you for the upcoming challenges you may come across in your development and growth. It also will be beneficial for your personal growth.

In conclusion, starting from a start-up and attending industry events will benefit you and teach you all you need to know when you enter an international corporation. What do you think?

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.

Industry conferences: Innovation is also about taking a different perspective

Posted on by Pierre-Yves Rahari

I have just returned from a short Summer break. Disconnecting from my emails and app notifications, even for only a few days, has given me the space to look at a few things with a slightly different perspective. After all, this is the bedrock of new discoveries and the innovation we profess and encourage at Reseo. I am taking this approach to think about the Investment Management conferences I have attended this year and reflect on a nagging feeling that something is missing in the conversations held by and with my peers.

Secular and cyclical topics

On that basis, I perused through the agendas of several conferences and observed that most conversations in our industry evolve around two main pillars, one that I would call the industry “core” or secular concerns, and the other one, the more cyclical questions. “Core” or secular concerns include a review of the fundamentals affecting the industry; investment trends; product development; macroeconomic and geopolitical issues; and of course, the ongoing regulatory updates. On the other hand, cyclical questions – at least for the most recent conferences – include conversations about private markets (and “retailisation” of thereof) and alternative asset classes; anything and everything technology, innovation, blockchain and AI; and of course, anything ESG[1] (with a marked decrease in the volume of conversations on this topic lately). Besides these secular and cyclical topics, space is made for a few conversations on governance and leadership, and more sporadically on people and talent.

All these topics are interesting and relevant, but I can’t help but notice that most of our industry conferences are designed on the same model, bar a few exceptions. Which often leaves me with a feeling of déja-vu or repetition, despite the high professionalism of most events, and the fantastic learning and networking opportunity they offer.

My wish list

With that in mind, what innovation would I like to see in our industry conferences?

  • Diverse speakers: For once, I would very much promote a greater diversity in the pool of speakers. The pay-to-play model that now prevails in most industry conferences tends to favour established corporations and exclude smaller start-ups[2] from panel conversations. Established corporations offer extremely valuable insight from their experience, yet I firmly believe that the industry would strongly benefit from alternative, equally innovative voices which deserve to participate in the public debate.
  • Focus on people: Then, I would very much table more topics on people, talent and leadership, which includes looking at these questions not only within the organisations within our industry, but also from an external viewpoint. For example looking into the demographics and motivations of our investors; understanding the perspective of our stakeholders and so on.
  • Macro and systemic analysis: My bias is that understanding people and talent cannot be divorced from looking at the organisations within which they operate, and even further, from an examination of the macro systems within which our organisations operate. I would encourage more of these conversations within our industry conferences. These would offer more opportunities to compare and contrast our industry with others as well, and allow us to engage in more societal and sense-making conversations[3].

From an innovation perspective, I see great benefits in these gentle questioning of our industry, in contrast to the too often self-congratulatory tone of our conversations.

Call for action

What other topics or questions would you like addressed in our industry conferences? Please share your thoughts at reseo@reseo.global , which we will compile and publish in our next article.

 

 

[1] ESG: Environmental, Social and Governance

[2] With limited marketing budgets to participate in conferences

[3] CogX comes to mind, as a model of cross-systems conference

 

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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