Enter the vortex: How asset managers can transcend digital disruption

Can improve efficiency and decision making

Innovation in financial technology has unleashed a digital vortex that promises to transform the asset management value chain, from asset gathering through to investment and operations, writes Unigestion CEO Fiona Frick.

We believe this digital vortex offers numerous potential opportunities for asset managers, but it also carries risks. If financial assets are managed by machines that interpret signals in the same way and recommend the same passive investments, how can we avoid crowded trades and the risk of a market stampede? We think this is where talented humans with forward-looking views will differentiate themselves. The pace of technological evolution is picking up. Last year, one of the world's best Go players was beaten by AlphaGo, an artificial intelligence computer programme. The quest...