In times of market uncertainty, risk functions at prime brokers (PBs) manage their client risk exposures more dynamically. Their role is to ensure enough margin is charged and collateral is held in a variety of “risk-off” scenarios across the spectrum of hedge fund trading strategies.  PB margin frameworks utilise parametrised rules and market stress shocks meant to provide stable margin for clients whilst also covering their lending risk in adverse scenarios. These models, at times, may be outdated for the adverse market conditions they were developed for, or may not account for extreme tail risk. As such, in times of

The approach to cybersecurity is shifting as the risk of data leaks has become more commonplace. Hedge funds and financial firms also need to ensure they implement consistent and continuous training, monitoring and testing to contend with ever-changing, creative threat actors. This is also critical in view of changing regulatory requirements.  Financial institutions, including hedge funds, have evolved and threat actors are raising the stakes turning ransomware attacks into something even more menacing. By and large, firms now have access to strong backups and disaster recovery software so traditional ransomware attacks are largely ineffectual as they are no longer compelled

The credit arena is expanding, buoyed by investor appetite for private credit and similar asset types. As managers look to enter new markets and offer investors new, potentially more complex asset classes, their need for greater operational flexibility and broader accounting support is growing. “We see managers going deeper and deeper into the asset class,” comments Nicholas Nolan, Vice President of Solutions Management and Product Development at SS&C Advent. “Historically, we would see managers with a split of 90% syndicated and 10% private, but now that ratio is around 30-40% private.”  The shift means managers require greater flexibility in their

An increasing sense of urgency for data and reporting among investors is sharpening the focus on quality to ensure excellence is preserved as client demand for speed rises. The way this data is delivered is also changing in view of investor needs.  “The push for delivery of financial statements and other deliverables as quickly as possible has increased significantly,” notes Jill Calton EVP, Executive Director Alternative Investments, UMB Fund Services, underscoring the growing calls for more for transparency alongside these shorter reporting deadlines.  This increasing sense of urgency can impact quality if not managed appropriately by administrators. Calton details how

As the rate of data proliferation intensifies, hedge fund managers are increasingly leavening their discretionary approaches with quantitative methods in order to better utilise the available data.  “Traditionally, the idea was that asset managers were either discretionary, making investment decisions in a less systematic way, or they were quants – susceptible to criticism for following a too strict rules-based approach. The truth is somewhere in the middle, where both sides apply some measure of the other in their approach but in different parts of their investment processes,” says Daniel Leveau, VP Investor Solutions at SigTech, “However, the explosion in technology

Following several waves of evolution, the research market landscape has witnessed the growth of modern RMS solutions which are built to grow in line with the funds they service. Going forward, interoperability and adaptability will define the future of these solutions.