Blog

Key “man” risk is really key “person” risk.  Many firms struggle with key person risk within their client reporting function – that situation where specific client or fund reporting information, knowledge and expertise reside in the head of one or perhaps just a few...

Has anyone ever described your client reporting solution as a “cottage industry”? I recently found some interesting definitions of a cottage industry: ‘a small and often informally organized industry' ‘a limited but enthusiastically pursued activity or subject’ Do...

This is a very interesting finding, and one that begs the question “why do so many investment firms not calculate their reporting costs?” There are probably two main reasons why this number is so high; The cost of reporting may be difficult to calculate in an old...

“Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience”. Thank you, Albert Einstein, for that insight. It is a well-known fact that people are best placed to start a client reporting project just after they’ve finished one. The knowledge gained from...

We firstly need to consider how broad or how much of the reporting process and client communications the automation should cover. For an efficient model the automation should cover all the key elements required in the preparation, production and publication of client...

Does your current client reporting system allow you to accurately measure your KPIs and target areas for improvement? Can your existing team and systems cope with more demanding timelines, higher reporting volumes and more complex reports? Is your client reporting...

Outsourcing your client reporting may look good on paper – the paper of the original business case, but does it look so good on the paper of a printed client report? It is widely accepted that the humble client report, and the not so humble client report, represents...

I would normally say that if you answered “yes” to all 3 questions below, you should consider a review of your current process, and consider a new reporting system.However, if you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, I would encourage you to read on:...

Generally, truly world-class client communications and reporting systems are typically only able to be justified and afforded by the larger asset managers and wealth managers. However, small and medium sized investment firms generally require just the same levels of...

Firstly, what is cloud reporting? Cloud reporting is Software as a Service based reporting, which can be defined as the capability provided to the consumer to use the provider’s applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from...

It’s that time of year again, when the UCITS KIIDs need to be refreshed, republished and re-distributed, all within 35 business days of the calendar year end. It's time to start managing the KIIDs. It should be easy… right? Maybe not. Perhaps there’s a few hidden...

When investment firms register and promote funds in overseas markets, it is likely that fund factsheets will be required to assist in the promotion of the funds in those markets and regions.Here’s a few tips on how to create regional factsheets: Factsheets produced...

A number of firms produce fund factsheets at “fund” level, rather than at the “share class” or “share series” level. The reasons for this tend to be historic and are often governed by the flexibility of the firms’ reporting systems, or perhaps the lack of reporting...

A common question that often puzzles Asset Management firms and Wealth Managers, is whether they should seek to identify and implement a single system that provides all the functions required across the front, middle and back offices, or whether selecting individual...

The world of reporting and client communications and perhaps more specifically ‘client and fund reporting’ is undergoing a revolution. The old guard is being challenged as traditional report production thinking comes under pressure from a new approach and business...

All client reporting teams suffer at some point with last-minute changes to their regular client reporting. These changes can emanate from a variety of sources and can negatively impact the production and distribution of the reports. Here’s 2 tips on how best to deal...

Good client service is asking what the clients want – and giving it to them. The same is true of quality client reporting – ask the clients what they want and give it to them. Very easy to say, but often difficult to do. Why is that? There are many reasons, read on to...

At first glance, there may be few similarities between buying a new car and buying a new client reporting system. However, in fact there’s much we can learn from the motor trade that’s helpful to selecting a new reporting system for your client and fund reports.When...

What is the link between a “blank piece of paper” and an “iceberg”? This is indeed a strange question and there appears no clear or obvious link, perhaps even less obvious and less clear as it relates to client reporting?The blank sheet of paper… Many client reporting...

With less than 6 months until MiFID II, many firms are concerned they have left their solutions too late, or solutions will take too long to implement. Moving from every 6 months to quarterly reporting presents an operational headache and increased risk for some...

With less than 6 months until MiFID II, many firms are concerned they have left their solutions too late, or solutions will take too long to implement. With Opus Nebula’s Reporting as a Service solution for MiFID II Post-sale reporting there is still time to provide...

What are forthcoming key trends that will shape the Wealth Management and Asset Management industries, and specifically what are we likely to observe in the client reporting space as a result of these trends and business pressures? The following short text is an...

One of the challenges facing wealth and asset managers right now, is the ability to display and update data, text and commentary on their website, on a timely and accurate basis AND (if that isn’t hard enough on its own) wealth and asset managers must also update, at...

Written by Andrew Sherlock (Opus Nebula Director/ Co-Founder) I agree with so much that has been written, and echo many of Jackie’s comments and observations. Especially where firms seem to be confusing client reporting with client service, and expending greater...

A revised data file, an update to the written commentary, or a disclaimer change, are received after the client reporting process has started. A few questions that may immediately spring to mind: What exactly are the changes? What’s the impact of the changes? Which...

Does the report production and the monitoring and tracking rely on manual processes? Is the commentary difficult to integrate, and fit to the space available? Does versioning get out of control, with any updates and last minute changes? Does the distribution process...