[ I N S I D E V I E W | J O N A T H A N W A T K I N S ]
Keeping up with the clients
I
’ m going to let you into the secret inner workings of Global Custodian. As we approach our 30th birthday next year, it’ s a wonderful time to reflect on the changes which have occurred throughout the tenure of our illustrious publication and the wider media industry. Much like the world we serve, we’ ve had to adapt and evolve to changing trends, market challenges and competition. The traditional print magazine has reigned supreme across the world for centuries, but in recent years it has had to battle with a usurper in the form of its digital rival – the world wide web. Quicker, sleeker and far more accessible than its predecessor, the internet has changed news delivery forever, forcing us to evolve the printed in-depth feature format in our magazines to fast-paced breaking news and similarly detailed long-form pieces, but in a shorter space of time. However, the death of print has been greatly exaggerated- as I often say – and the magazine has learnt to co-exist with the internet and, if anything, has benefitted from its extra promotion and the efficiencies of acquiring new readers through online subscriptions. So, for a time, we ran both in unison, giving us the chance to reach new readers and corners of the world, distributing our news, analysis and market-leading surveys far and wide. But once these two forms of publishing had learnt to get along, suddenly a new kind of information delivery was born out of the modern way of consuming information – in the form of events. Industry events provide an interactive way of consuming new information, while also networking with a like-minded audience. With all these outlets at our disposal, we have had to analyse the tendencies of our audiences to fine tune the production and delivery of all our products. From data to analyse the best times to send newsletters and stories, to tracking the geographies of our magazine readership to tailor our content and discover the topics which fill rooms full of audiences for our educational events. We mix data analysis with knowledge and research to present the content we do, tapping into our readership network which spans over 100 countries bring you what you want, how you want it. For securities services firms, keeping up with your client’ s needs is just as crucial, and much like our publishing world, the pace of change continues to accelerate. Demands change, their own business models change, and, of course, everyone continues to want more for less. This is why our coverage continues to focus on the changing needs of the client – from the rise of ESG strategies among asset owners, to continuous outsourcing trends from asset managers, to the fee issues around hedge funds and the ever-rising inflows into private equity leading to a demand for third-party partners. Other fascinating subjects such as how political issues, new technologies and regulations impact all of the above, also remains crucial to securities services firms in order to meet the needs of their clients. Our cover story in this issue looks at the potential demand for cryptocurrency servicing in the future, and how custody is crucial in the development of these digital assets. As one of the biggest investment topics circulating at present it’ s a difficult topic to ignore for custodians and fund administrators alike. Ultimately it is essential to understand the needs of your client and the changes occurring in their world, which is why we’ re balancing the delivery of this information to you with monitoring how and when you would like to receive it. Who knows, maybe one day we’ ll be dropping this issue off to you by drone and you’ ll be paying for it in cryptocurrency.
Jonathan Watkins Managing Editor Global Custodian globalcustodian. com EDITORIAL
Managing Editor
JONATHAN WATKINS Tel: + 44( 0) 20 7397 3815 jon. watkins @ globalcustodian. com
Deputy Editor
JOE PARSONS Tel: + 44( 0) 20 7397 3810 joe. parsons @ globalcustodian. com
Special Projects Editor
RICHARD SCHWARTZ Tel: + 44( 0) 20 7397 3816 richard. schwartz @ globalcustodian. com
Product Development Manager
BEENISH HUSSAIN Tel: + 44( 0) 20 7397 3838 beenish. hussain @ globalcustodian. com
Research & Operations
KAREN DELAHOY Tel: + 44( 0) 20 7397 3826 karen. delahoy @ globalcustodian. com
Contibutors CHARLES GUBERT
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Art Director
OLIVIA ROSZKOWSKA Tel: + 44( 0) 20 7397 3825 olivia. roszkowska @ globalcustodian. com
ADVERTISING
Advertising Director
DALJIT SOKHI Tel: + 44( 0) 20 7397 3809 daljit. sokhi @ globalcustodian. com
ADRESS
20 Little Britain London, UK EC1A 7DH Tel: + 44( 0) 20 7397 3800
Printed by: Warners Midlands PLC
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Global Custodian magazine publishes five issues per year. GlobalCustodian. com publishes daily. Annual subscription: $ 565- magazine only; $ 715- web only; $ 890 – package. For more information contact subscriptions @ globalcustodian. com.
Global Custodian is owned and produced by Tungsten Publishing Ltd. © Tungsten Publishing 2018
No part of this publication may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without written permission from the publisher.
6 Global Custodian Summer 2018