Our Insights
Explore some of our insights & news with which we aim to keep ourselves and our clients informed of the latest trends and challenges in Financial Services.
The financial services industry is at a pivotal point in time. What was once built on face-to-face meetings, extensive paperwork, and manual processes is now being rapidly reshaped by digitisation. Consumers expect seamless digital experiences in every aspect of their lives—banking, shopping, healthcare, and now, wealth management. This shift is redefining customer expectations, rendering traditional performance metrics obsolete, and fundamentally altering what drives profitability.
The financial services industry is at a pivotal point in time. What was once built on face-to-face meetings, extensive paperwork, and manual processes is now being rapidly reshaped by digitisation. Consumers expect seamless digital experiences in every aspect of their lives—banking, shopping, healthcare, and now, wealth management. This shift is redefining customer expectations, rendering traditional performance metrics obsolete, and fundamentally altering what drives profitability.
The Fundamental Review of the Trading Book (FRTB) is a set of regulatory standards developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) as a part of its broader Basel III framework. FRTB aims to address shortcomings in the existing trading book framework, enhance risk management practices, and ensure that banks hold sufficient capital against their risk exposures. In this paper, we will be addressing the new FRTB rule, what it is, and its impact on organisations.
Horizon technology is driving a recalibration across financial services. Guided by a need to drive efficiency, firms are scrambling to maintain pace with competitors - or innovate beyond them. The integration of these technologies enhances productivity, mitigates operational risk and creates new opportunities for financial institutions. Failure to adopt horizon technologies could result in a loss of competitive edge and increasing inefficiencies across the enterprise over time. To achieve long term resilience and growth, organisations must take these technologies seriously and begin formulating ways to implement them across the business.
Imagine a future where any asset - whether real estate, art, or equities - is accessible to anyone, breaking barriers like geography, wealth, and institutional gatekeeping. Tokenisation is making this possible by converting assets into digital tokens that are easily transferable and universally accessible.
As the financial industry undergoes rapid transformation, modernising core banking systems is no longer optional - it’s a necessity. With many banks still operating on legacy systems, some of which were implemented 30 to 40 years ago, these aging platforms, often heavily customised, struggle to keep pace with the demands of digital banking, real-time transactions, and seamless integration with fintech partners.
Several months following its publication, this paper examines ESMA’s 31 July opinion issued to National Competent Authorities (NCAs) and considers the impacts it is having on those seeking to operate within the parameters of Europe’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCAR). We assess how ESMA's guidance is reshaping the landscape for broker-dealer models, and how best execution requirements will require firms to make operational changes in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment.
In today's rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, the banking sector faces an unprecedented increase in the risk of money laundering and financial crime. As the first line of defence against these threats, banks must confront the harsh reality that their existing KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) processes are being tested like never before. The heightened risk environment necessitates an urgent call to action. Now is the time to invest in innovative technology and develop a fit-for-purpose operating model. To reinforce defences to ensure they stay ahead of emerging threats as well as be a pioneer for further essential business growth.
Realising the future CFO office to drive continuous improvement is a key vector for unlocking outsized value creation and increasing market competitiveness.
As the importance of technology in business operations deepens, the CFO and finance function should be attributed remits across controlling the tech. spend agenda, owning financial / operational data, and acting as a facility for insights – evolving into a more complex role within businesses as the strategic engine room.