Today Acuiti and SmartStream release the report – The Future of Reference Data: From Compliance to Alpha.
The report highlights the growing importance of reference data investments for financial firms and the strides being made in data standardisation and automation
Participants were surveyed from across the derivatives market, including: hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, energy traders, bank and non-bank FCMs, and brokerages. The results reveal that in the last five years firms have made significant investments or changes in how their organisations manage and process reference data for trade data management, with automation emerging as the primary driver.
Key findings from the report:
- 71% of firms have invested in reference data during the last five years
- Standardising external data remains a significant challenge, cited by 46% of respondents
- 56% of respondents reported significant reductions in manual processes through automation, with notable improvements in reconciliations and trade workflows
- 24% of firms have fully automated their reconciliations systems, however this area continues to pose challenges despite recent technological advancements
- AI adoption is on the rise, with 25% of firms already leveraging AI or machine learning for data management, with 30% planning to integrate these technologies soon
Download the full report below.
