Leading the Way
Global Asset Servicing News and Commentary
Asset servicing news and commentary
Custody
Standard Chartered to acquire Zodia Custody
18 May 2026 UK
Reporter: Zarah Choudhary
Under the proposed acquisition, Zodia Custody’s regulated custody activities will be integrated into Standard Chartered’s existing digital asset custody business
Digital assets
SGX FX adopts Chainlink
18 May 2026 Singapore
Reporter: Zarah Choudhary
The company is using Chainlink’s DataLink service to make its OTC FX trading data available to blockchain-based markets
Technology
FundStudio and Derivitec partner
14 May 2026 US, UK
Reporter: Tahlia Kraefft
The partnership combines the firm’s operational platform with Derivitec’s advanced risk analytics, the joint solution delivers real-time risk insights across asset classes
Leading the Way
Global Asset Servicing News and Commentary
How institutions evolve
Abdul Sheikh, vice president, Relationship Management at CIBC Mellon, reflects on how three decades of steady, client-led technology investment have reshaped the firm from a paper-based operation into a digital-first institution
Washington’s crypto pivot from enforcement to market structure
Tahlia Kraefft examines the joint framework between the US Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s role in Washington’s crypto supervisory shift and wider effort to integrate digital assets into the traditional financial regulatory system
The tokenisation marathon
Ziv Keinan, founder of STG Security Token Community and head of markets and partnerships at XDC Network, speaks with Asset Servicing Times about the evolving institutional adoption of tokenised real-world assets and the role of stablecoins in financial infrastructure
Corporate actions data challenge
As the industry migrates from ISO 15022 to ISO 20022, questions remain over whether structured messaging alone can resolve the operational complexity of corporate actions processing. Zarah Choudhary examines where standards are helping — and where market practice still stands in the way
Transaction reporting takes on new significance as regulators tune in
Quinn Perrott, co-CEO at TRAction, explores how recent EMIR, MiFID, and global regulatory rewrites are reshaping transaction reporting, and why data quality, global alignment, and the right regtech partnerships are becoming critical for firms under increasing supervisory scrutiny
Leading the Way
Global Asset Servicing News and Commentary
SimCorp
Ruxandra Popovici
Ruxandra Popovici, senior principal product manager at SimCorp, explains how a career change after a Master of Science in Business and Development led her to developing an interest in technology’s role in disrupting workflows
Broadridge Financial Solutions
Brooke Conroy
Brooke Conroy, director of Account Management, Broadridge Financial Solutions, discusses her journey into asset servicing, her passion for its role at the heart of the investment process, the sector’s continual change, and championing client satisfaction
n-Tier
Peter Gargone
Carmella Haswell sits down with Peter Gargone, founder and CEO of n-Tier, to discuss what may be in store for the year ahead
Linnovate
Henry Lin
Henry Lin, founder and CEO of Linnovate, discusses how AI is being embedded across operational workflows and what the next phase of AI-enabled operating models looks like for the industry
Jersey Finance
Elliot Refson
Elliot Refson, head of funds at Jersey Finance, explains how Jersey serves as a gateway for cross-border private placements, as high net worth and family office investors drive demand for bespoke investment vehicles amid a fundamental shift in fund structures
Clearstream
Piotr Sokol
Piotr Sokol, head of Network Eurobonds and vice president at Clearstream, describes how a curiosity to understand the core infrastructure underlining the financial system drove him to pursue a role where markets, regulation, relationships and strategy all met in one place
Smartstream
Thomas Steinborn
Thomas Steinborn, chief product and technology officer, Smartstream, outlines how agentic AI is reshaping financial operations by enabling autonomous, audit-ready workflows that reduce manual effort, cut risk, and unlock measurable efficiency gains across exception-heavy back office processes
FINBOURNE Technology
Toby Glaysher
Toby Glaysher, chairman at FINBOURNE Technology, examines how rising operating costs, mounting technical debt, and a generational shift in client expectations are forcing asset servicers to reassess their economics, infrastructure, and definitions of value
Leading the Way
Global Asset Servicing News and Commentary
News and people moves roundupArtificial Intelligence
Robin Hasson of Smartstream on the role of ‘always on’ AI agents.Market Connectivity
Europe and US’s growing divergence on proxy voting reform.Country Profile
South Africa’s asset servicing market faces a new challenge.
