Consider the agenda set !

For a global industry spread far and wide - and one which is as fragmented as it is complex - there ’ s an overwhelming consensus on the most prominent issues facing the securities services world right now . From the US to Europe , the Middle East to APAC , the headaches are mirrored , as are the airs of optimism . Settlement times , digital assets and geopolitical risk top the agenda and have been the basis of conversations across the world . Technology , automation , efficiencies and fintech partnerships often cap off most conference programmes for an industry with a marked in tone compared with the past decade . If you separate the economic troubles and geopolitical tensions from the custody world ’ s inner state-of-play , everything seems to fall under the theme of grasping opportunities , as opposed to battling headwinds – which had been the premise of the late 2010s . While digital assets have been discussed for some years now , the custody industry has finally aligned itself to the phenomenon and all the major players have stepped into the arena to service and further the burgeoning asset class . In this issue we discuss the timing of these launches and how the introduction of incumbent custodians can accelerate digital assets and institutional adoption ( page 46 ). Meanwhile , with settlement suddenly becoming the most exciting topic not named crypto – we explore both the shift to T + 1 in the US ( page 16 ), Europe ’ s own plans for settlement reduction ( page 11 ) and how to fix a problem like the Settlement Discipline Regime ( page 56 ). If you ’ re reading the digital edition of this magazine , you may notice our animated front-page - a nod to the fintechs we have highlighted in this issue ’ s in depth feature , recognising the innovators the securities services industry needs to know about ( page 27 ). After conversations over the years with these fintechs themselves and their backers – in the form of incumbent custodians and administrators – we pulled together 16 firms who are making waves in the securities services industry . The stories are as fascinating as they are impressive with billions of dollars poured into these aspiring start-ups from the world ’ s largest banks ! And how have said banks got the money to invest ? Well , BREAKING NEWS , custodians are gathering plenty of revenues this year ( page 20 ). In a narrative change from recent years , assets under custody are dropping , while revenues are rising . There are a number of contributing factors for this , but it ’ s good news in the shortterm and with the aforementioned opportunities on the horizon and the notion of automation and efficiencies becoming more and more likely through innovation and collaboration , the purple patch could continue . So , while the securities services industry has one eye on the global turmoil the world currently faces , the other is on growth and servicing its clients in a better way than ever before … even if inflation will almost certainly force them to raise prices .