Tag: AI in Finance

What Asset Owners are Thinking: Key Insights from Our Latest Peer Study with Melanie Pickett

What Asset Owners are Thinking: Key Insights from Our Latest Peer Study with Melanie Pickett

In this episode of Faster Forward, host Grant Johnsey sits down with Melanie Pickett, Head of Asset Servicing, Americas, to unpack the latest findings from Northern Trust’s global asset owner survey, “Asset Owners in Focus”. Their discussion dives into how institutional investors around the world are adjusting their strategies amid a rapidly changing landscape.

They also touch on the topic of cryptocurrency. While some clients are receiving crypto through gifts or distributions from private equity funds, Melanie notes that strategic asset allocation to crypto remains uncommon, though it’s a trend worth watching.

Looking ahead, Melanie emphasizes the growing influence of geopolitical events and tax policy on portfolio construction. Asset owners are shifting from regional allocations to more granular, country-specific strategies. Even traditionally tax-exempt institutions are paying more attention to after-tax investment outcomes due to changing tax treaty landscapes.

Key highlights include:

  • The surprising levels of cash reserves that asset owners are maintaining 
  • The move towards strategic liquidity management amid market volatility 
  • The significance of operational efficiency in managing diverse portfolios 
  • A snapshot of regional variations in sustainable investing practices 

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About Melanie Pickett:

Melanie joined Northern Trust in January 2017, charged with creating a new line of business centered on meeting the portfolio management and technology needs of complex asset allocators around the globe. In late 2018, Melanie led an equity investment in Parilux Investment Technology and built Northern Trust’s first cloud-native software business. In early 2019, Melanie increased Northern Trust’s equity stake in Parilux to a majority position and launched Northern Trust’s Front Office Solutions. Since launch, the platform has grown to serve over $550BN in AUM. Northern Trust fully acquired Parilux in April 2021. Melanie also serves as the global product executive for alternative investments, directing capital and strategy to the firm’s investments in services for limited partners, inclusive of a multi-year digitization initiative utilizing groundbreaking machine learning capabilities.

In January 2021, Melanie took responsibility for the firm’s not-for-profit, healthcare, public pension, and Taft Hartley businesses, and in January 2022, she added responsibility for the insurance and large corporate businesses, as well as Northern Trust’s Canada business.

Melanie’s remit now spans the entirety of the Asset Servicing business in the Americas, directing the bank’s strategy, growth, and delivery of all firmwide products & services for asset owners and asset managers in the Americas region.

Exploring Generative AI in the Banking Industry

Exploring Generative AI in the Banking Industry

From streamlining customer service to redefining how data drives decisions, generative AI is pushing boundaries and unlocking new levels of innovation in the banking industry. 

But with these breakthroughs come complex challenges. In this episode, Alvin Chia, Head of Digital Assets Innovation, APAC at Northern Trust, and Manish Kogundi, Head of Digital Assets Technology, APAC at Northern Trust, examine the transformative capabilities of generative artificial intelligence in banking, its various use cases, barriers to adoption, and what the future holds for the industry. 

Key Highlights:

  • Learn how AI tools are redefining content creation and customer interaction, setting new standards for innovation in the industry
  • Discover current use cases in banking and how they are boosting customer satisfaction and operational efficiency
  • Examine the potential benefits and challenges of leveraging AI for researching and selecting stocks
  • Understand how AI can streamline regulatory and compliance workflows 
  • Learn about the obstacles banks face, from outdated infrastructure to data privacy concerns, and the steps needed to reskill employees for an AI-driven future
  • And much more!

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Exploring Generative AI in Alternative Investments

Exploring Generative AI in Alternative Investments

Join Mike Srdanovic, Director of Enterprise Architecture at Northern Trust, and Phillip Mortimer, Chief Scientist at Accelex for an overview of large language models, generative AI and its potential applications in the financial services industry. The two delve into how generative AI has the potential to disrupt and shape the alternative asset space, and Phillip shares different ways Accelex is harnessing this technology to deliver innovative solutions to its clients. 

Key Highlights:

  • Learn about Accelex’s unique platform that skillfully transforms unstructured data into valuable structured insights
  • How Accelex’s AI-driven approach to document ingestion and data extraction goes beyond traditional methods for enhanced accuracy and efficiency
  • Understand how cutting-edge AI models are refining Accelex’s data processing, making complex tasks more straightforward and precise
  • Hear about the ongoing challenges within AI, as well as the exciting future of AI in financial services and the alternative investments space 
  • And much more!

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Unpacking the Power of Data and AI in Finance with Carl Boneri

Unpacking the Power of Data and AI in Finance with Carl Boneri

Explore the intersection of finance, data, and artificial intelligence in this episode of Faster Forward, featuring Carl Boneri, Head of Engineering and Data Science, Front Office Analytics at Northern Trust.

Listen as Carl discusses his career path, the increasingly critical role that data, AI, and Machine Learning play in today’s world, the value derived from unlocking and organizing data to create actionable insights, the future of technology, and more. 

Key Highlights:

  • Carl’s career journey began in finance and led him to become a technical founder of a cognitive computing startup
  • Why Carl joined the Front Office Analytics team at Northern Trust
  • The view of data as a potential, untapped source of intelligence
  • Why organized data is crucial for AI success
  • How AI is transforming client service at Northern Trust
  • What excites Carl about the future of data and AI in finance
  • And much more!

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Rugby, Resilience, and Redefining Operating Models with Gary Paulin

Rugby, Resilience, and Redefining Operating Models with Gary Paulin

Faster Forward welcomes Gary Paulin, Head of Global Strategic Solutions at Northern Trust. Gary’s journey has taken him from his family’s fruit farm in New Zealand to his current role in which he works to ensure Northern Trust’s solutions remain closely aligned with the fast-evolving requirements of clients around the world. He recounts his early days, fueled by a passion for rugby, and his career journey through to the present day. 

As well as insights from his career, Gary also shares perspectives on the transformational changes impacting Northern Trust’s asset owner and asset manager clients, and the key factors driving and changing their decision-making. 

Key Highlights:

  • Transition from rural beginnings in New Zealand to founding a brokerage house in London and current role as Head of Global Strategic Solutions for Northern Trust Asset Servicing
  • Views on the operating models, new investment tools, and ideas required for asset owners to navigate today’s very different market conditions from those of the recent past
  • Opportunities for business model optimization and improved margin resiliency for asset managers in response to today’s asset volatility and broken industry economics 
  • Thoughts on AI’s potential role in augmenting decision-making processes across the investment industry
  • The value of leveraging unique, internal data to secure competitive advantage 
  • And much more!

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About Gary Paulin: