Leading the Way
Global Asset Servicing News and Commentary
Asset servicing news and commentary
People moves
Vistra Fund Solutions welcomes O’Shea
26 October 2026 UK
Reporter: Madison Hendrickson
Andrew O’Shea joins the team as its new executive vice president of Europe, and will oversee the firm’s European business to support its continued growth
Industry
Northern Trust reappointed by People’s Pension
26 October 2026 UK
Reporter: Madison Hendrickson
The agreement extends a relationship which began in 2018, and the firm will continue to provide fund administration, global custody, securities lending, and performance measurement
Industry
Citi to establish wholly owned securities venture in China
23 October 2026 China
Reporter: Madison Hendrickson
The firm has received approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission, granting it an onshore securities license which allows offerings of equities brokerage, securities underwriting, securities research, and principal trading services
People moves
Flanagan elected to Citi’s board of directors
23 October 2026 US
Reporter: Madison Hendrickson
James Flanagan joins the board as a new independent director, and brings nearly 40 years of experience ranging across operations, information technology, finance, and risk and regulatory matters
Leading the Way
Global Asset Servicing News and Commentary
Bhutan builds beyond Bitcoin
Zarah Choudhary explores how Bhutan is moving beyond sovereign Bitcoin mining to build the regulatory, custody, and market infrastructure with insights from Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget
Unified custody
As asset managers, servicers, and custodians grapple with the rapidly shifting market the persistent question remains: how can they keep up? Madison Hendrickson explores
Pontes brings central bank money into tokenised markets
The Eurosystem’s new settlement bridge addresses one of tokenisation’s biggest practical barriers, but interoperability, liquidity, and post-trade integration will determine whether Europe can move from pilots to scale. Zarah Choudhary explores
Rethinking cash
Wanda Lam, head of Middle Office Alpha Product at State Street, examines why cash servicing has become a critical component of modern middle office outsourcing
Decision intelligence before automation
As digital labour moves onto the Sibos agenda, CIBC Mellon’s chief operations officer Catherine Thrasher argues that the most important foundation for the agentic future remains data
What the future holds
As wealth and asset managers contend with ageing technology, private-market complexity, and the rise of AI, Russell Andrews of FIS tells Zarah Choudhary why the industry’s next phase of transformation will depend as much on data and operating-model redesign as it does on new technology
Leading the Way
Global Asset Servicing News and Commentary
Calastone
Simon Keefe
Simon Keefe, managing director and head of digital assets at Calastone, sits down with Matthew Challis to discuss the future of digital distribution, how stablecoins and tokenised deposits are changing treasury management, and why smart contracts might be redefining the role of transfer agents
Clearstream
Patrick Kropp
Patrick Kropp, settlement product manager at Clearstream, discusses his journey into asset servicing, the value of bringing fresh perspectives to a complex industry, and why standardisation, interoperability, and new technologies will be central to the future of financial market infrastructure
FundGuard
Lior Yogev
As financial institutions look to move artificial intelligence from experimentation into production, Lior Yogev, CEO at FundGuard, discusses why architecture, data, and governance will determine whether AI can deliver meaningful change across investment accounting and operations
Deutsche Bank
Sayali Bute
Deutsche Bank’s Trust and Securities Services vice president, Sayali Bute, has built her career in institutional sales and asset servicing since joining the bank as a graduate trainee. She now works with clients across India’s rapidly developing investment market while supporting growth in the bank’s custody and fund administration business
Global Tax Recovery
Mark Friedman
Mark Friedman, CEO of Global Tax Recovery, speaks about the growing complexity of withholding tax recovery, the operational challenges facing asset servicers, and why firms are increasingly looking to specialist providers
Prescient Fund Services in Ireland
Nicola Gerety
Newly appointed Nicola Gerety, country head of Prescient Fund Services in Ireland, speaks to Zarah Choudhary about the firm’s growth ambitions, region’s evolving fund landscape, and the impact of AI
Capco
Marc Biro
Marc Biro, managing principal at Capco, discusses the SEC’s approval of 23-hour, five-day equities trading on both Cboe and Nasdaq, and the operational and technology overhaul ahead. Carmella Haswell reports
Smartstream
Krina Rathod
Krina Rathod, product designer at Smartstream, discusses bringing a fresh UX perspective to asset servicing, the value of questioning legacy workflows, and how better design can improve efficiency, usability, and operational resilience
Leading the Way
Global Asset Servicing News and Commentary
News and people moves roundupFunds
Yealand's Rob Rob Leedham explains how administrators need investment to keep pace.T+1
Madison Hendrickson explores where the industry stands.Digital Assets
Brett Tejpaul discusses the shift from competition to collaboration.
People moves
Industry
