Investor Solutions Working Group
Purpose
There is a clear interconnectedness between end-investors and Securities Services providers. End-investors invest via various distribution channels – such as asset managers, fund managers and online wealth-distribution platforms. These intermediaries provide Securities Services providers with transactional information. In return, Securities Services providers supply data and reports back to the distribution channels for onward provision to the end-investor clients.
Given this interconnectedness, the Securities Services industry is also impacted by the drivers of change faced by investors, which have been significant in recent years. In order to be able to provide the services that these investors – and more specifically end-investors – are looking for, the Securities Services industry needs to understand end-investor requirements, the challenges faced by investors when investing and, in particular, any issues that may deter investment.
ISSA has therefore created an Investor Solutions WG. This WG will seek to better understand barriers to improvements and innovation and provide educational and informational tools to assist ISSA members, distribution channels and end-investors design solutions that meet the investors’ needs.
Scope
In 2026, the WG will focus on:
- Outlining the life-cycle between the end-investor and Securities Services provider
- Researching the challenges faced by end-investors when making investments in capital markets (whether traditional assets, private markets, funds, digital assets or cryptocurrencies)
- Understanding any barriers to investment – these may include some or all of the following:
- Digitization of investor journeys with real-time access / service
- Lack of standardization of data
- Lack of holistic single view
- Fund Accounting drivers
- ETFs (access / holistic view)
- Middle Office (data availability and timing)
- Transfer Agency
Out of scope for the WG will be:
- Direct investor clients of Securities Services providers such as Investment Managers
- Front, middle or back-office platform solutions
- Trade management and NAV production
- Digital Onboarding (this is being covered by the Digital Identity and Onboarding WG (‘DI&O’)). We note however that as the DI&O WG evolves its solutions, we will consider this topic further in this WG to determine benefit and impact
Key Deliverables
Key 2026 deliverables will include:
- Creation and distribution of a key considerations paper that captures important factors relating to the digitisation of investor journeys
- Creation and distribution of a key considerations paper that captures important factors for achieving standardization of data, including use of AI, real-time access for clients and investors
Key Outcomes
Key 2026 outcomes will be:
- To educate Securities Services providers, as well as the broader financial industry, on the lifecycle between end-investors and Securities Services providers
- To seek to ensure all parties involved in financial markets have a better understanding of the requirements, challenges and barriers to investment faced by end-investors when investing in financial markets
- To better enable Securities Services providers to design appropriate solutions
Publications
TBC
Working Group Co-Chairs
- Felicity Howgate, Citi
- Debbie Summers, State Street
Executive Sponsor
- Mike Hughes, Citi
Institutions Represented by Experts in the Working Group
- Australian Custodial Services Association
- Australian Securities Exchange ASX
- B3 Brazilian Exchange and OTC
- BNP Paribas S.A.
- Citi
- CMA Small Systems AB
- Deutsche Bank AG
- Incentage AG
- J.P. Morgan
- Montran
- MYRIAD Group Technologies Ltd
- S&P Global
- Standard Chartered Bank
- State Street Corporation
- Swiss Re Ltd
- The Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd.
- U.S. Bank, N.A.
- UBS Group AG