Month: September 2026

Building for What’s Next: Data, AI and the Future of APAC Investing

Building for What’s Next: Data, AI and the Future of APAC Investing

For Australian asset managers and superannuation funds, growth increasingly depends on operating discipline, reliable data, and decisions about where technology can add practical value. As firms look to scale while keeping costs and operational complexity under control, the question is where to invest, what to keep in-house, and where strategic partners can help.

In this episode, host Paul Fahey speaks with Angelo Calvitto, Head of Asia Pacific, and David Sara, Regional Head of Industry Development, Asia Pacific, at Northern Trust as they explore the findings from Northern Trust’s 2026 Driving Growth in Asset Management survey. They discuss the survey findings on Australian asset managers and superannuation funds, including cost control, outsourcing, target operating models and data management.

Key points:

  • How Australian asset managers are balancing growth goals with tighter cost control and operating discipline
  • Why outsourcing can help firms focus internal talent on functions that create meaningful differentiation
  • How stronger data strategy, governance and accuracy support investment decisions, risk management and efficiency
  • Where AI is providing practical support in document management, data quality and operational due diligence
  • How operating models, technology choices and strategic partnerships can support long-term growth and member outcomes
  • What can help asset managers and super funds turn growth strategies into scalable operating models

Connect with Angelo Calvitto:

About Angelo Calvitto:

Connect with David Sara:

Project Acacia and Tokenized Markets with Justin Chapman and Paul Abraham

Project Acacia and Tokenized Markets with Justin Chapman and Paul Abraham

As tokenized assets move into real-world testing, institutional investors need to understand how they could affect existing payment systems, settlement processes, risk controls, and operating models.

What can real-world testing teach financial institutions about the next stage of digital markets?

In this episode, Paul Fahey speaks with Justin Chapman, Group Head of Strategic Partnerships, Digital Assets and Financial Markets at Northern Trust, and Paul Abraham, Chief of Investment Services at Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation, about Project Acacia. They cover a live use case connecting a tokenized carbon credit with traditional cash settlement, what institutional investors are learning about tokenized assets and digital cash, and why hybrid infrastructure may remain part of financial markets as adoption develops.

Key points:

  • How Project Acacia tested tokenized assets alongside traditional payment infrastructure and settlement processes
  • Why institutional investors are studying tokenization before broader adoption reaches their operating models
  • How digital cash, tokenized equities, and different settlement models may develop across jurisdictions
  • Where tokenization may improve liquidity, collateral use, operational efficiency, and risk visibility
  • Why trust, liquidity, security, and regulatory clarity remain central to wider institutional participation
  • And more!

Connect with Justin Chapman:

About Justin Chapman:

Connect with Paul Abraham:

About Paul Abraham:

Paul Abraham is Chief of Investment Services at Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC), which provides superannuation products and services to Australian Government and Australian Defense Force employees. He joined CSC in 2005 and brings more than 30 years of financial services experience, with previous roles spanning chartered accountancy, asset management, and financial planning across Australia, London, Tokyo, and Singapore. Paul is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and holds a Master of Financial Management from Australian National University and a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) from Charles Sturt University.