The Rise of the Robots: Real Talk and Dispelled Myths about AI

2019 has continued with the funds industry facing unprecedented pressures – with economic, commercial and regulatory factors calling into question some existing operating models. Whilst these stresses present a challenge – when it comes to the trading desk, outsourcing is beginning to be seen as an increasingly compelling opportunity. Is it time for asset managers to re-evaluate outsourced trading solutions?

Join expert Connie Lindsey, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Global Diversity & Inclusion at Northern Trust, as she leads a discussion around progressing talent recruitment, retention and managing to improve diversity and inclusion in the financial industry. Rethink industry hiring practices and explore how diversifying the workplace reshapes opportunity. Listen to panelist Dan Houlihan, Head of Asset Servicing for North America, and Jim Fitzpatrick, President of NICSA, as they share more information about The Diversity Project North America, an organization dedicated to a more inclusive workforce culture.

As institutional investors /pension schemes boost their exposure to alternative assets at transformational levels, they are exploring a variety of ways to access the investments. An evolving approach is to venture beyond the investor role by entering the realm of the asset manager and establishing their own investment vehicles.
This can offer advantages such as full alignment to their requirements and greater control. Yet it also requires a high level of in-house expertise and operational considerations.

The webcast will:

• Examine the drivers and challenges for investment in alternative assets
• Explore the changing relationship between ‘LPs’ and ‘GPs’
• Outline key considerations for direct investment

Presented by:
- Mark Austin, Head of UK Institutional Investor Group, Northern Trust
- Stuart Lawson, Senior Product Manager, Alternatives, Northern Trust
- James Alexander, UK Wealth and Asset Management at Accenture

Moderated by:
- Brendan Maton, IPE

Enterprise blockchain has been touted as the "next big thing" for blockchain. However, implementing a new and often complex technology into a larger organisation has a number of obstacles that stand in the way of successful adoption and implementation.

Join this session where a panel of experts will discuss:
-The main challenges with implementation and how to overcome them
-Moving from POC to pilot
-Tackling security concerns
-Private, public, and hybrid blockchains
-Industry-specific examples

AI has the power to focus the volume of data in financial services. AI and machine learning tools can provide automated insights and analytics, giving asset owners and asset managers the ability to increase operational productivity, improve cybersecurity, and manage risk, among other benefits.

Watch our latest AI webinar to learn about the current AI landscape, how AI in used in financial services, and the future state and what is to come with AI.

Experts from the Technical Accounting Consulting team at Northern Trust discuss recent pronouncements (GASB 89, 88, 87), implementation guidance (Guides No. 2018-1 and 2017-3) and current GASB projects.

How blockchain, AI and other technology has impacted the financial services industry and what else is to come.

Ryan Ross speaks w/ Northern Trust's Anthony Stevens about how they are thinking about Blockchain, including seeking the right use case before creating a product, how users experience blockchain, why a distributed ledger was the product that fit a need, and how banks are working with regulatory bodies to streamline the industry, and how regulations will shape the industry.

Pension investment costs and charges: Towards greater transparency

Trustees and pension fund executives increasingly need to understand the full cost of managing their investments to enable them to determine if they are receiving value for money. Yet many find it difficult to obtain the information required to complete this analysis. As pension investment costs and charges come increasingly to the fore of industry debate, this webcast will provide ideas for those seeking to gain deeper insight into schemes’ investment costs and charges.

The webcast will:

• Discuss recent industry developments and initiatives aimed at encouraging greater transparency over investment costs
• Outline key areas that trustees can assess when hiring or changing their investment managers
• Highlight the costs associated with certain types of transactions and less commonly known investment-related activity

Presented by:
• Mark Austin, Head of UK Institutional Investor Group, Northern Trust
• Aaron Overy, Director of Business Development, Northern Trust Asset Management
• Sonia Gogna, Head of Large Client Solutions, Aon

Moderated by:
• Brendan Maton, IPE

Join Northern Trust’s Dan Houlihan, Head of Global Fund Services, North America, and Peter Sanchez, CEO of Global Hedge Fund Services, and learn how we are strategizing about technology decisions to optimize innovation. 

Managing Risk in the Age of Cyber Threats.

Reference: www.nist.gov

Practical Insights on the Rise of Transparency Considerations in Asset Allocation

Investor priorities have shifted since the 2008 financial crisis, but one trend is clear: transparency has become paramount.

As investor appetite for non-correlated assets grows apace, the volume and complexity of alternatives in their portfolios is burgeoning. In order to obtain a level of transparency similar to that available for their traditional long-only investments, they need to overcome the challenges of monitoring, valuing and reporting on this comparatively opaque and illiquid asset class.

The webcast will:

• Review the key findings from Northern Trust/Economist Intelligence Unit’s recent survey of 200 asset managers and institutional investors on the rise of transparency considerations in asset allocation
• Share examples of how investors and managers are managing these considerations
• Explore the role of data in the management process and discuss who ultimately takes responsibility for transparency

Presented by:
• Mark Austin, Head of UK Institutional Investor Group at Northern Trust
• Stuart Lawson, Alternatives Global Product Manager at Northern Trust
• Hamish Mair BSc, MBA, ASIP, Director and Head of Private Equity, BMO Global Asset Management

Moderator:
• Brendan Maton, IPE

Steve Locke, Director of Security Technology at Northern Trust, shares insights on today’s cyber security landscape. In this session, he discusses trends in the cyber landscape, cyber attacks of 2017 and strategies for demystifying cyber threats.

Understanding U.S. Funds and Navigating Distribution Channels

The U.S. market is large and can be very complex. Join our experts Barbara Nelligan, Head of Product Management – Global Fund Services North America and David Whitaker, President, Foreside as they provide a concise overview of the U.S. market.

They look to help you gain perspective on market size, trends and other consideration including:

•Fund vehicle options
•Pros and cons of various U.S. distribution channels
•Selling through intermediaries and consultants relations

The final Department of Labor (DOL) Fiduciary Rule was released in April 2016, with an applicability date of April 10, 2017. The Rule redefines when a person becomes a fiduciary by providing investment advice related to retirement assets, including advice to ERISA plan fiduciaries, plan participants and IRA owners.

In February, President Trump directed the DOL to re-examine the Rule. As a result, the DOL delayed the rule’s applicability date to June 9, 2017. Uncertainty remains about whether the Rule will be further delayed, modified or possibly even rescinded.

Join us as we discuss the consequences and recent developments surrounding this Rule.

There has been a great deal of interest in the financial services industry regarding Blockchain technology. Northern Trust sees the evolution of Blockchain as a potential opportunity to better serve clients through the faster settlement of certain transactions, an increased operational efficiency, increased efficiency through reduced capital and liquidity requirements, and greater transparency and security. Please join us for a discussion on Blockchain and its benefits.

Data Solutions from Northern Trust

Join Northern Trust’s Don Rieck and Mercer’s Greg Korte for a knowledge share, as they discuss their experiences helping clients tackle these challenges. In particular, they’ll recommend how you can leverage other relationships to ease burdens and refocus efforts on core priorities.

To learn more, please contact your Northern Trust representative, Tom O'Shea at to3@ntrs.com, 312-444-5677 or Matt Gray at meg5@ntrs.com, 312-557-1968

Join Northern Trust experts Kevin R. Blair and Domenic Sgambelluri as they discuss the background of T+2 Settlement, impacts, benefits, key considerations, fund-settlement cycle changes and Northern Trust’s response to this regulation.

Practical steps to manage and understand your liquidity requirements

Liquidity is starting to become a significant issue for institutional investors. The impact of a difficult mix of market trends, a sustained low interest rate environment and the unintended consequences of certain regulations are all helping to make cash an increasingly problematic asset class to deal with.

Whether seeing to obtain a return on your un-invested cash or liquidity to support investments, the environment is only likely to get more challenging.

The webcast will:

- Share examples of the different techniques which a range of institutional investors are employing to address this liquidity conundrum
- Shed light on emerging techniques such as portfolio stress-testing and liquidity budgeting
- Provide practical insights into how you can ensure a balance of security, liquidity, yield and operating efficiency