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Contributors
Alun Cutler
Ben Keeler
Part 1 of 5: Decision velocity for the front office
Investment managers face unprecedented market complexity, where the ability to transform data into actionable insights—decision velocity— has become the defining competitive advantage. Meeting this challenge requires more than incremental improvements; it demands a fundamental reimagining of how data flows through investment organizations.
AI has amplified the data imperative by raising the stakes of data quality. Since AI systems only perform as well as their underlying data, inconsistent or fragmented information doesn't merely slow decisions—it amplifies poor ones at scale. "The challenge isn't just about having more data," observes Alun Cutler, Senior Director at SimCorp. "It's about having the right data, in the right format, at exactly the right moment when decisions matter most."
This reality exposes a critical flaw in traditional technology architectures that artificially separate pre-trade and post-trade environments. Stale positions, outdated cash projections, and incomplete risk assessments can result in a critical lack of common understanding. “Portfolio managers and traders require seamless, trusted data to support both analytical rigor and market instincts; on the other hand, information gaps often negatively influence alpha capture and agility,” adds Ben Keeler, Partner at Citisoft.
The trust advantage
The consequences of fragmented data extend far beyond delayed trades. As Keeler points out, “when data quality falters, the essential ‘trust and verify’ principle degrades into costly skepticism and redundant reconciliation processes that further delay critical decisions, in turn creating material drag on performance.” This transformation turns investment professionals from strategic thinkers into data validators—a fundamental misallocation of talent that compounds each verification cycle.
This challenge intensifies as execution speed and rapid strategy deployment increasingly define leading investment firms. Markets don't wait for systems to catch up. Cutler stresses,
Organizations that can't deliver real-time, trusted data across their entire investment lifecycle will find themselves perpetually behind—not just in execution, but in identifying opportunities altogether.
Consequently, robust operational data platforms have evolved from competitive advantage to survival prerequisite. These platforms enable confidence in shared information while supporting AI-augmented decision-making across business functions.
Case study: Real-world impact for a global asset manager
The theoretical challenges of decision velocity become starkly practical when examining how a major global asset manager, a SimCorp client, with EUR 180+B AUM transformed their operations.
"We were making critical investment decisions based on stale data," noted the firm's COO. "Our portfolio managers were spending more time reconciling position data than analyzing markets."
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The path forward: A robust data foundation
The client transformation validates what Keeler identifies as the three fundamental characteristics of high-performing investment management businesses:
- a data-centric operating model that transcends traditional functional silos
- unwavering trust in both acquired and derived data
- organizational agility to capitalize on strategic opportunities as they emerge
Keeler notes that,
These characteristics remain elementary yet critical in our always-on, data-driven market environment—and they cannot be automated, outsourced, or solved by AI utilities alone. Investment professionals who consume data to inform action and generate returns drive every asset management firm's success, but their effectiveness depends entirely on data quality and the operational trust that quality engenders.
While Cutler agrees that competitive advantage requires absolute confidence in data quality, he emphasizes a crucial caveat: the entire process from ideation to execution must remain frictionless. After all, only executed opportunities generate returns. The global asset manager's experience reinforces this principle — "true decision velocity demands seamless integration that transforms market insights into portfolio outcomes without institutional barriers, technological delays, or data uncertainties undermining performance,” he concludes.
Our Front Office Series unveils the breakthrough strategies reshaping investment management. Five game changing articles reveal exactly how tomorrow's winners are pulling ahead—and the specific moves your firm needs to make now. Which strategies will define your competitive advantage?
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