The financial industry is facing a major transition. Digitalization has become a crucial competitive factor; complexity is constantly growing, and new compliance standards need to be fulfilled. Staying ahead of the competition requires more and more specific knowledge as well as the smart use of modern technologies.

The completeness and correctness of data constitutes the basis of every solution for the financial industry - even more so if these solutions are to serve users end-toend and across the entire value chain. Etops follows this approach consistently and uses a solid data basis to make financial technology easier.

The absence of true data standards significantly increases complexity and represents a challenge for any solution in the investment area. Etops is therefore also involved as a member in the OpenWealth initiative to promote standardization. Pius Stucki, CEO, Etops Group, is a board member of OpenWealth which allows Etops to participate in pilot projects in order to be able to create interfaces faster and in better quality in the future, which will ultimately benefit the entire industry.

Another strong push towards technology, especially in Switzerland, is currently coming from FINMA compliance requirements, which will trigger further technology investments in wealth management, which leads to the challenge to successfully manage your business by fulfilling the compliance regulatory framework.

Digitalization is also changing the way the industry interacts with its clients, who increasingly expect to be able to control their investments on mobile devices, with near or real-time dashboards and 24/7 digital asset and wealth management.

Family offices
In the past, family offices rarely saw a reason to invest in technology because they benefited from full service from the banks. We are witnessing a paradigm shift here. The new leadership by the successor generation brings innovative ideas and a strong affinity for technology and digitalization to the industry.

The level of complexity of requirements has also intensified, as assets are more spread around the world than ever before, families tend to be larger and family members expect access via their mobile devices. Based on this perception, we observe a growing demand for comprehensive family wealth reports that also include all illiquid assets like private equity, real estate, all kinds of collectables, etc.

Based on proven outsourcing offerings in the back and mid-office area and using the flexible connectivity solutions from the Etops Group, high-class multibank reporting solutions are offered that cover all requirements of family offices, UHNWIs, pension funds, fund companies and asset managers as well as private banks. This offer is not limited to the production of printable PDFs, but also includes digital access via dashboards, browsers, and mobile devices.

ESG
Another technology driver is the growing demand for sustainable investments, which will be further fuelled by forthcoming ESG-based regulations at the EU level. Etops has been able to gain extensive experience in this area over the past few years and incorporates that knowhow in reports and dashboards in a smart way.

Etops is also a leading provider in the field of portfolio management solutions and offers comprehensive systems for independent asset managers of all sizes and characteristics, as well as for private banks, family offices and fund management companies. This proven platform which, fully integrated into the group's ecosystem, makes daily work easier and covers all regulatory requirements such as FIDLEG/FINIG, MiFID II, UCITS, etc. Integrated CRM functionality allows the mapping of the complete client lifecycle and the industry’s entire value chain.

Like every industry, the financial industry is facing an unprecedented flood of data. Etop's technology makes this data usable by means of state-of-the-art analysis.

Data science and the use of artificial intelligence open up entirely new possibilities in the analysis and application of available data. Etops makes the journey through the world of financial data playfully simple.

In a nutshell, the Etops ecosystem is future-ready. It covers all areas of wealth management, from input to comprehensive visualization with high-end interface solutions and operations outsourcing, cutting-edge PMS/ CRM systems and sophisticated data analysis as well as the coverage of all output channels or to bring it to the point.

Etops makes financial technology easier.

This article was part of The Wealth Mosaic's Swiss WealthTech Landscape Report (2021). Access the full report here.