Building operational resilience & lasting value in an uncertain world

Linedata Global Asset Management Survey 2021

The asset management community has had to evolve its technology and operational practices since the pandemic. After an early focus on the shift to remote work and responding to market volatility, they’ve since put more attention on longer-term structural opportunities that will build lasting value. So, what’s next?

In Linedata’s Global Asset Management Survey, 200 executives point to key drivers of strategy and technology looking toward 2022.

Insights at a glance

Top challenges for firms have completely shifted from 2019.

• Top challenges in 2019

  • Investment performance (35%)

  • Attracting new clients (34%)

• Top challenges in 2021

  • Cybersecurity (35%)

  • Risk management (29%)

Putting innovation at the forefront

Analysis of survey data also shows an acceleration of several phenomena that were already in motion, including key components enabling firms to streamline operational complexity while working toward creating lasting value.

• Significant shifts in cloud adoption attitudes

  • In 2019, more than half of firms said they had no plans to adopt the cloud.

  • By 2021, only 5% of survey respondents feel this way.

• Outsourcing along the investment lifecycle

  • About ⅓ of surveyed firms are positioned to closely examine middle-office operations in the next 12 months to decide what specific functions can be effectively outsourced, compared to 17% of respondents in 2019.

• Investment in technology platforms

  • Nearly half of asset managers are leaning toward a single provider approach to technology adoption.

• Growing importance of transparency and disclosure to firm identity

  • Transparency now ranks third in the ways firms most often distinguish themselves against competitors

    • Risk management practices (20%)

    • Investment performance (19%)

    • Greater transparency (16%)

• Proliferation of new ESG product activity despite operational and reporting challenges

• More than ⅔ of respondents have prioritized the integration of ESG factors into their investment process.

Dive deeper into the data.

Download the 10th edition of Linedata’s Global Asset Management Survey Report.