The Middle East is no longer just a rising market – it's a melting pot of opportunity for custodians, with sovereign wealth funds managing trillions, capital markets booming and economic diversification in motion. From record-breaking IPOs to a surge in alternative investments, Sophia Thomson examines how the custody industry is evolving in the region – and why success depends on tailor-made solutions and lasting relationships built on trust.

As the new US administration takes bold steps to reshape the regulatory landscape for digital assets, the financial services industry sits poised for transformative change.

Digitalisation, shorter settlement cycles, a renewed focus on geopolitical risks and the emergence of new asset classes will be among some of the biggest changes shaping global custody over the next decade.

The fund administration sector has been an irresistible lure for private equity investors over the last decade. Here’s why.

A disparate and fragmented European Union is thwarting the continent’s ability to compete effectively with the largest markets in the world. But a new political impetus has reinvigorated the consolidation agenda, with a view to challenging national frameworks and bringing growth back to the region.

Prime brokerage is a business driven by growth in its client base, and in 2024, players of all shapes and sizes are reaping the rewards of navigating an eventful few years to post record numbers off the back of positive trends in the hedge fund space, writes Jonathan Watkins.

The private funds industry is now just six months away from the implementation of sweeping Form PF amendments – described as the ‘most material change to alternative investment reporting in the US in more than a decade’.

AI promises to enhance efficiency and accuracy in routine processes, while also providing deeper insights through advanced analytics. This technology could elevate the operational standards of fund administrators to new heights. However, like any major technological shift, integrating AI into fund administration comes with its own set of challenges and risks.

Retail investors and defined contribution schemes (DCs) are looking for juicier returns, just as private market managers – having raised huge amounts of money from institutions over the last decade – are now trying to diversify their client base. Global Custodian looks at whether retailisation of private markets is actually happening, and what this means for the industry’s operating model, and the fund administrators which support it.

Global Custodian speaks with Fearghal Woods, global head of ETF product at JP Morgan, to discuss the fast-moving ETF market and how the custodian is setting out its stall to become a leading servicer in the space.

A cornucopia of positive developments has driven the Asian institutional investment landscape to new heights in recent years. Global Custodian tracks the reasons behind that growth and what the evolution means for securities servicers providers in the region.

In the dynamic realm of securities finance, change is the only certainty. Regulatory waves continually reshape the landscape, demanding swift adaptation from firms in the space, but what happens when there is a swell and they all arrive concurrently? This feature explores the effects of recent amendments, including the Securities Financing Transactions Regulation (SFTR), the adoption of the SEC’s Rule 10c-1, and the impending T+1 regulation in the US.

Custodians and their clients alike are facing up to operational resilience regulations around the world, but at a time when the shift to T+1 is taking up time, money and attention, how much focus is being placed on these major requirements the strengthen the defences of the financial system.

Speaking to Global Custodian, State Street CEO Ron O’Hanley discusses leadership plans for its prized investment services unit, future proofing the business through a billion dollar investments and just how transformative Alpha is for the organisation and its clients.

Put the puzzle pieces together on Deutsche Bank’s custody business in 2024 and you get a very difference picture to that of the 2010s – so should we call it a comeback? Global Custodian’s Jonathan Watkins talks to Deutsche Bank’s securities services head Paul Maley about the sub-custodian's strategy three years into his role, going under the radar with innovation and what he believes is behind the turnaround.