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This article first appeared in Enterprise Innovation

Barriers within the financial investment supply chain keeping are a lid on active investments, and need to be overcome if Asia is to realise its full potential

The investment scene in Asia, by any stretch of the imagination, seems to be booming. It is estimated that by 2025 Assets Under Management (AuM) in the region will have more than doubled – rising to US$29.6 trillion (between 2016-2025[1]). Not a week goes by when another news article highlights the growth potential of Asia, proclaiming it the engine of the world relative to the slow-growth West.

However, various structural elements have stymied investments in the region, lowering the amount of investments despite the huge potential. In Asia there is currently around US$15 trillion worth of AuM[2], my guess is given the regions size and growth, this should be higher, but for fundamental inefficiencies in the financial investment supply chain.

Regulations, silos and expectations

The most obvious reason is compliance. The cost of compliance is soaring, taking up masses of energy, resources and cost. Globally it is estimated that banks spend over $100 billion on compliance per year[3], spend approximately $320 billion in fines and hire tens of thousands of staff dedicated solely to compliance[4], from executives on $1 million+ a year salaries to low skilled workers doing data entry.

Yet there are other reasons why Asian wealth has not been fully unlocked. Modern banking structures are still too siloed and bureaucratic, further raising costs and creating inefficiencies. Some banks are burdened with older IT systems that are unwieldy and inflexible, leaving a lack of interoperability between departments, further harming cross-communication and provoking a turf mentality.

Furthermore, investor expectations have changed, with many now demanding full transparency and disclosure (even regulations, such as MiFID II, require research costs to be disclosed), and expect speed as well as choice and accessibility. This raises costs and burdens on banks.

What has this got to do with the low levels of active investments in Asia? We currently have an industry that is bogged down in paperwork, fearful of the various regulations imposed upon them and unaware of what their colleagues on the floor above them are doing, let alone what the competition is up to. This means that typical wealth managers can only properly service their top five or ten clients, and even then, they are limited by what investment solutions they can provide given the limited research they can do and compliance burdens.

There are three ways of getting around these obstacles. The first one would be to remove them and deregulate the financial services industry, but smart regulations and compliance are important and necessary for a trusted, fully-functioning financial system. Another way would be to hire more people, specifically in compliance, yet as banks have seen this drives up cost, and still leaves a high chance of human error.

That leaves the third option: overcome these obstacles. Easier said than done, but the technology is available that can augment the work of investors, traders and wealth managers, making their lives easier and more efficient.

Transparency, speed, choice

Digital investment platforms exist today that can provide the right mix of choice and accessibility, and safety in terms of compliance. In addition to this, some have leveraged Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data analytics that allow the platforms to go beyond automation and can proactively identify suitable opportunities for Financial Advisors and their end clients.

Starting with choice and accessibility, a good digital wealth platform will enable the ‘supply side’ of the wealth ecosystem (investment banks, alternative fund managers etc) to push their products through a platform that will automatically carry out many of the compliance and safety procedures needed to meet existing regulations, ensuring quicker passage through compliance and middle office.

These products will then be showcased for Financial Advisors to choose from with all information clearly laid out. The platform could even proactively choose one of the products and suggest it to the Financial Advisor for a particular client, a suggestion that is tailored and appropriate to the client’s risk appetite and other factors.

This mix of automation, technology-assisted compliance and AI-enabled relevance allows private banks and wealth managers to overcome those last mile challenges that they currently face, starting with the ‘supply side’ getting their products accepted by bank gate-keepers and distributed to front-line bankers, ensuring proper research is done and the products are fully in compliance, through to ensuring the products are suitable and appropriate for end clients

Making financial investment choices more accessible, safer, and relevant

What technology does, in the form of digital investment platforms, is make the complex world of investments, a world which has just got a lot more complex through the introduction of cryptocurrencies, a lot more accessible, transparent, safer and a lot more relevant. They connect buyers and sellers, lower the barriers to investments in the ecosystem, and address compliance and regulatory issues. As Asian finance becomes ever more digitised, and the adoption rates of these platforms grow, we will start to see greater investment activity throughout the region.
 

Written by

Andrew Au
Co-Founder and CEO of AGDelta

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[1] PricewaterhouseCoopers, Asset & Wealth Management Revolution: Embracing Exponential Change. URL: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/asset-management/asset-management-insights/assets/awm-revolution-full-report-final.pdf

[2] The Asian Banker, Assets under management in Asia Pacific show sustained growth trends. URL: http://www.theasianbanker.com/updates-and-articles/assets-under-management-in-asia-pacific-show-sustained-growth-trends?&lang=Chinese

[3] The Trade News, Banks spent close to $100 billion on compliance last year. URL: https://www.thetradenews.com/Sell-side/Banks-spent-close-to-%24100-billion-on-compliance-last-year/

[4] Bloomberg, Banks Trimming Compliance Staff as $321 Billion in Fines Abate. URL: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-23/banks-trimming-compliance-staff-as-321-billion-in-fines-abate

This article first appeared in Singapore Business Review

To emerge as the world’s first crypto-hub, Singapore needs to find the middle ground between ‘crypto is a fraud/Ponzi scheme’ and ‘crypto is the best thing since sliced bread’

Two announcements from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) made at the end of 2017 defined the challenges cryptocurrencies pose. One the one hand, MAS announced a series of guidelines designed to regulate the currency, specifically Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), laying the groundwork for further growth in this area. Yet not long after, MAS issued a warning, cautioning against investments in cryptocurrencies and advising the public to ‘act with extreme caution and understand the significant risks’ cryptocurrencies pose[1].

While both these announcements are not necessarily contradictory, and granted are aimed at different audiences (the former to more knowledgeable financial professionals, the latter towards the consumer), they do reflect an inherent confusion that exists today among regulators when dealing with this new currency: crypto as the exciting new future of finance that should be embraced; or crypto as a fraud and a threat.

ICOs are a real emerging growth area. Worldwide, over US$1 billion is said to have been raised through token sales for issuing companies as of November 2017. Some Singapore-based businesses that have run token sales include gold price tracker Digix, which raised US$5.5 million; start-up incubator Cofound.it, which cancelled its ICO after hitting its US$15 million funding target in a pre-sale[2]. It is also worth noting that globally, the combined market capitalisation of digital currencies reached over $370 billion at the end of last year, overtaking JPMorgan, America’s largest bank[3].

The guidelines published by MAS declared that some coins may represent ownership or a security interest over an issuer’s assets or property, bringing them under the purview of Singapore’s Securities & Futures Act and Financial Advisers Act. They would also be subject to licensing requirements for securities vendors, and any digital token secondary market operators would have to gain regulatory approval from MAS, and would be required to register a prospectus with MAS before launching their token sale among other requirements.

These guidelines form part of a steady evolution of the City State’s regulations when it comes to cryptocurrencies, reflecting the growing understanding and popularity of this genre of currency. Additionally, regulation will help inject a level of trust into ICOs, possibly attracting more to Singapore which is already benefiting from a strong FinTech and start-up ecosystem.

Yet MAS’s last announcement no doubt came due to fears of a bubble forming, and the dangers of ordinary folks getting burnt. Stories abound of citizens with no knowledge of investing asking how to buy Bitcoin, and of teenagers using their parents’ credit cards to purchase cryptocurrencies, so there is a genuine problem of suitability and appropriateness.

Then there is the problem of cross-border marketing and money laundering. With millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrencies moving across markets and jurisdictions with little to no information on sources, the potential for using the currency for nefarious purposes is huge.

If Singapore is to emerge as a leader in this field – and I think it should – it needs to find an appropriate middle ground between these themes. Luckily, there are a few parallels that we can draw between cryptocurrencies and other Get Rich Quick (GRQ) products, which have emerged over the years, that may help to define Singapore’s position. Leverage structured products, for example, became famous during and after 2008 for allegedly causing the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), and Singapore even banned 10 financial institutions from selling structured notes for up to two years back in 2009[4]. After the MAS applied various regulations and guidelines, and lifted the bans, structured products have grown considerably, structured product demand in Singapore and Asia has only increased – in Asia alone it has hit US$800 billion today[5].

Blockchain technology has been polarising, one only has to look at the debates surrounding Cboe’s Futures launch to see this, but it is worth noting that similar GRQPs did not turn out to be the weapons of financial mass destruction many forecasted. If Singapore can start to rise above other markets, and provide a strong, reasonable and smart regulatory framework, then we could see the emergence of the world’s first ‘crypto-hub’.

Written by

Andrew Au
Co-Founder and CEO of AGDelta

___________________________________

[1] Monetary Authority of Singapore, MAS cautions against investments in cryptocurrencies. URL: http://www.mas.gov.sg/News-and-Publications/Media-Releases/2017/MAS-cautions-against-investments-in-cryptocurrencies.aspx

[2] Tech In Asia, Singapore’s central bank clarifies stance regarding ICOs and token sales. URL: https://www.techinasia.com/mas-ico-tokensale-clarity

[3] CNBC, The cryptocurrency market is now worth more than JPMorgan. URL: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/06/the-cryptocurrency-market-is-now-worth-more-than-jpmorgan.html

[4] Reuters, UPDATE 2-Singapore punishes 10 firms over Lehman notes sale. URL: https://www.reuters.com/article/singapore-banks/update-2-singapore-punishes-10-firms-over-lehman-notes-sale-idUSSIN39751520090707

[5] Hubbis, Comparing structured products in Europe and Asia. URL: http://pdf.hubbis.com/pdf/article/presentation-summary-comparing-structured-products-in-europe-and-asia.pdf

This article first appeared in Singapore’s Business Times

THE financial services’ Industry Transformation Map (ITM), launched on Oct 30, aims to create thousands of jobs here in Singapore, as well as raise productivity and growth in the industry, and by extension the wider economy.

Under the ITM, the financial services sector is expected to achieve 4.3 per cent growth in the medium term, almost twice as fast as the overall economy. By 2020, an additional 1,000 jobs are expected to be created in the financial technology (FinTech) sector.

While these numbers have led the headlines, one detail that seems to have been buried is the fact that the ITM also aims to support the development of Asian finance, including expanding cross-border agreements with other FinTech centres.

This is the crux of the issue, Singapore’s financial services sector it immutably tied to that of Asia, and without development in the latter, we will not see the kind of jobs and growth that we would like in Singapore. Luckily, the financial services sector in the City State is in a good position to develop the kind of financial infrastructure needed in the region, and most importantly, develop it in a way that allows Singapore to take a leading position.

There are 10-member states of ASEAN, each with their own rules and regulations when it comes to finance. The compliance burden alone makes cross-border transactions difficult, costly and complicated. Finance is becoming ever more international, and many Asians will now live and work in different Asian states, requiring cross-border financial services. This trend will only grow as the middle class in Asia expands, and we will see greater demand for demand for financial services from consumer credit, and wealth management, to insurance.

The political will for greater financial services integration is there, and as we saw with the (relatively) recent ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), integration can be done. But the biggest obstacles lie in capacity and infrastructure, and harmonising regulatory standards and practices.

CHANGING EXPECTATIONS

This is where technology comes in, and where Singapore can take a leading role.

Finance is already being digitised for a number of reasons, driven by both the end customer and industry professionals. Firstly, there is the simple fact that today’s and tomorrow’s generation grew up in the era of the smartphone and the internet, and so the resistance and lack of trust is not there. We are more comfortable organising our own lives – from purchasing groceries to managing our investments – through an app or website.

Another reason is changing expectations, clients expect more choice and higher returns. The non-discretionary nature of the Asian client (most clients in the region prefer to have a more hands-on approach to their investments, rather than letting their wealth manager handle it alone) means that there is demand for more timely, frequent and relevant advice and updates from bankers and advisors.

Lastly, as alluded to previously, compliance. These are hard times for the financial services industry, especially wealth management, with the cost and complexity of regulations skyrocketing since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). This has increased costs for banks, and the risk for bankers resulting in a more conservative, risk-averse approach and lost opportunities for clients.

Tech products have emerged to address these challenges and demands. Start-ups have developed Regulatory technology (RegTech) that can automate compliance processes, removing the chance of human error and ensuring bankers are meeting compliance and suitability standards. There are platforms emerging that leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to advise on investment strategies and solutions, processing data in real-time, and ensuring every deal or execution is communicated to the banker and his/her client.

The next step, though, has not arrived yet could make or break Singapore’s quest to continue as a regional financial service hub. That step is the creation of a financial services ecosystem in Asia, one that supports the collaboration between clients, their advisors and financial product manufacturers from across the region, enabling smooth cross-border transactions, promoting competition between states and moving capital around to where it is needed efficiently.

Written by

Andrew Au
Co-Founder and CEO of AGDelta

AGDelta and SoHo Capital partner on Digital Distribution for rapidly growing AMC’s

Partnership focuses on rapid time to market for digital delivery of bespoke investment product from leading global institutional asset managers

Singapore (Monday, January 15th, 2018) – AGDelta and SoHo Capital have partnered to spearhead the launch of a unique platform and value proposition for the rapidly growing Actively Managed Certificates (AMC’s) market place.

The partnership will bring to market a platform offering which addresses the final challenge of industrialising the digital collaboration between investment strategy sponsors (Fund/Asset Managers), distributors (Private/Retail banks, Insurance Companies, Independent Asset Managers and Family Offices) of AMC’s for their end customers and the manufacturers (Investment Banks). The ability to bring to market “bespoke actively managed investment strategies” such as AMC’s much faster than ETF’s (6-9months) has seen growth rates of AMC’s surpass ETF’s in wealth strong hold markets like Switzerland.

The new AMC Platform partnership will look to shorten that cycle to an unprecedented period of days whilst introducing for the first time “systematic” usage of end-client preferences and feedback to enhance the relevance, suitability and appropriateness of specific strategies in demand. The platform achieves this by leveraging SoHo’s significant library of manager strategies via its Strategy Data Exchange (SDX) and AGDelta’s award winning Digital Wealth, RegTech and Big Data powered solutions which has seen over $1.5 Trillion USD in multi-asset transactional turnover since inception.

SDX was launched by SoHo in early 2017 as a library of model portfolios that are being productized by leading investment banks as AMCs. AGDelta’s Best Execution and Digital Distribution platforms have successfully been in production across all major asset classes, for cash, funds, structured products and alternative investments at major global and local financial institutions since 2010 across Asia, Middle East and Europe.

“Whilst it was never in dispute that the growth in AMC’s would be very well served with more choice for “bespoke investment strategies through SDX’s leading global panel of strategy sponsors, it was clear that the AGDelta partnership provided an important solution to the final piece to the puzzle to achieve scale. AGDelta offers our asset management clients massive distribution, superior domain expertise and deep industry relationships,” said Frank Troise SoHo’s Founder. “Now our clients have the ability to significantly amplify their marketing for these new and proprietary AMC investment strategies” Troise added.

AG Delta’s platforms provide end users the ability to see AMC strategies “pre-ISIN and “post-ISIN.”  This dynamic allows for asset management firms to build an order book prior to officially launching any strategy.  Consequently, time to market for model strategies will be shorten from weeks and months to days and the probability of a successful raise for the AMC is significantly enhance.

“We have a long track record of innovation and successfully transforming the supply chain for investment products. Whether conventional cash forex, bond, stocks or funds to highly complex structured or alternative investments, we have delivered significantly more accessibility, investment distributor/provider choice, regulatory protection mechanisms and most importantly relevance to end customers” said Andrew Au – CEO and Co-Founder for AGDelta.” “The collaboration between SoHo and AGDelta to address the AMC market place is not only highly synergistic but a very logical one to offer immediately a comprehensive and unique value position to what is likely going to be one of the hottest themes in 2018” Au added.

For Immediate Release

For More Information Contact:

Oliver Ellerton – AGDelta Public Relations

oliver@ellerton.sg