Profile Software, an international financial solutions provider, announced today it has been shortlisted in the WealthBriefing GCC region awards as the only firm in three key technology categories, namely “Portfolio Management,” “On-boarding” and “Innovative Client Solution”, due to the recent developments implemented in its platforms.

Following the increasing preference of established regional financial institutions for Profile Software’s solutions, this recognition represents a testament to the commitment made by the company in developing innovative and functionality-rich systems to meet the demanding requirements of the wealth management industry. In addition, Profile is expanding its presence in the Middle East with the addition of expert professionals and established partners in the company’s regional team, to enhance its customer service offering levels.

Profile Software’s IMSplus has been selected and utilised by a number of leading investment management organisations in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia etc. while Axia, the newly-presented web-based, omni-channel platform for front-to-middle wealth management operations has attracted an increasing interest by the local community. This is because of the flexible and powerful approach it provides to firms of any size without the need of internal IT infrastructure.

Apart from accommodating the day-to-day investment management activities of banks, fund management, wealth management and family offices organisations, the platforms provide real added-value benefits to the effective operations of the institutions ranging from business agility, competitive customer service, personalised branding approach to customisation to meet specific needs.

The WealthBriefing GCC Region Awards have grown year-on-year and 2015 promises to attract more than 300 senior banking and wealth management professionals to the awards dinner. Showcasing ‘best of breed’ providers in the global private banking, wealth management and trusted advisor communities, the awards were designed to recognise companies, teams and individuals which the prestigious panel of judges deemed to have ‘demonstrated innovation and excellence during 2015’. 

ClearView Financial Media’s Chief Executive, and Publisher of WealthBriefing, Stephen Harris, said: “The firms who have been shortlisted in these awards are all worthy competitors, and I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations. These awards are judged on the basis of entrants’ responses to a number of specific questions, which had to be answered focusing on the client experience, not quantitative performance metrics. That is a unique, and I believe, compelling feature. These awards will recognise the very best operators in the private client industry, with ‘independence’, ‘integrity’ and ‘genuine insight’ the watchwords of the judging process - such that the awards truly reflect excellence in wealth management.”

Winners will be announced at a gala awards dinner which will be held at Mina A’Salam Hotel, Dubai on Tuesday 10 November, 2015.

With the aim to succeed in one or all of the award categories that Profile is listed in, (click here from more) it is worth mentioning that the company’s solutions for the Wealth Management industry have received a number of distinctions and accolades ranging from the “Wealth Management Application for the Year” by Technology Innovator Awards, to the “Best Technology Solution for Portfolio Management 2015” by Hedge Funds Awards 2015, to name but a few.

INDATA, a leading industry provider of software and services for buy-side firms, today announced the availability of its quarterly release of the iPM Epic platform for clients. 

Among the numerous front office enhancements included are:

• An all new and streamlined multi-asset block trading tool
• Additional features and options for efficient portfolio management, including rapid portfolio filtering across any portfolio characteristic, attribute, or data point
• Enhancements to IBOR functionality including performance, attribution and risk for current and historical time periods
• Enhanced trading blotter analytics, including integration with a number of new market data providers, custodians, and trading counter parties.

Middle and back office enhancements provide extensive new tools to effectively manage internal and external data sources and feeds, including the ability to rapidly on-board portfolios, securities, contacts or other data points while providing an efficient workflow and delivering a comprehensive audit trail in line with industry best practices for compliance, new custodian interfaces as well as custodial data services offered through INDATA SA (System Administration), several new fee billing scenarios, tracking, and reporting tools as part of the system’s fully integrated client fee billing functionality.   

“INDATA’s latest quarterly release of iPM Epic offers a number of significant productivity improvements for end users whether they are portfolio managers, traders, compliance, operations, client service or marketing professionals,” commented David J. Csiki, President of INDATA.  “We are excited about these features and look forward to continuing to integrate the additional functionality requested by our clients into future versions of Epic, all of while keeping our clients ahead of the curve when it comes technology,” he added.

For more information on INDATA and its iPM Epic system, go to http://www.indataweb.com/solutions/

BankWorld designed by CR2 will enable Ameriabank to offer banking solutions available 24/7 via the self-service channels including the ATM and Kiosk network as well as the Internet and Mobile Banking channels.

This will be a new world in the Armenian financial market as all remote banking channels will be unified in a single platform providing clients with maximum convenience and standardising access to all services via any remote banking channel.

The system has a number of new-to-Armenian banking self-service banking features. The system particularly enables to:

-automatically match the self-service banking device/remote channels and the product offered to  the right client segment, ensuring an individual and relevant service;

-transform ATMs into personalised service points whereby  clients can easily manage all of their bank accounts, submit various orders and application forms to the bank as well as execute a number of transactions which were previously restricted to the Internet Banking, in addition to being targeted with personalised offers relevant to the customer’s profile;

-improve the capabilities of the Internet and Mobile Banking channels both for individuals and legal entities, ensuring a wider range of transactions to be deployed at convenience  and a modern segment-specific interface;

-perform person-to-person (P2P) payments via the Internet and Mobile Banking channels as well as other self-service touch points using the recipient’s phone number or other authentication data. -Customers will be able to withdraw the received amount from Ameriabank’s ATMs without having to use any payment cards.   

The adoption of the BankWorld omnichannel banking platform will be implemented progressively over the next year.

“I am delighted to welcome Ameriabank as our first customer in Armenia. Today’s signing, which sees CR2 delivering our unique Self-Service platform offering to Ameriabank including ATM – Internet Banking – Mobile banking and Kiosk solutions, will allow the bank to create a seamless user experience across all of their self-service channels and we have no doubt that it will help the bank comfort its leading position in the market. Ameriabank’s customers will experience fast, convenient banking in addition to getting access to the widest range of services in the market. We look forward to watching the innovative ways of banking being deployed by Ameriabank in the coming months using BankWorld and be part of introducing innovative services in Armenia banking,” Kieran Kilcullen, Member of the Executive Board, Chief Commercial Officer, CR2.

“Welcome to Armenia, CR2! Ameriabank highly values the new business relations with CR2. This initiative is aimed at fulfilment of one of Ameriabank’s strategic goals – offering our clients fully-fledged package of modern self-service and remote banking solutions by using cutting edge technologies. This new software will open new horizons for remote banking and self-service software users and contribute to the development of remote banking culture in Armenia”, - said Artak Hanesyan, Chairman of the Management Board, Ameriabank CJSC.

Customers Bank has selected DadeSystems’ DadePay AR Automation solution to expand and enhance its payment processing strategy.

Customers Bank will replace two legacy RDC systems with DadeSystems’ next generation DadePay solution. DadePay is a single application built on the latest technology that can efficiently process C2B and B2B payments. The application is a true, multi-payment platform supporting all payments forms and can be accessed from any popular browser and both the Apple iOS and Android mobile platforms. The application goes beyond today’s RDC platforms by providing sophisticated AR Automation capabilities including full support for the most complex B2B payments.

“We were very impressed with the advanced capabilities of DadePay,” said Robert J. Diegel, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer. “This solution will provide immediate efficiencies to our current RDC service as well as providing a new platform on which we can quickly deliver innovative new Virtual Lockbox and AR Automation services to our business customers. No other vendor offered a single application that covered such a wide spectrum of functionality, running on today’s latest technology.”

“Customers Bank is well known in the industry for its 'high tech, high touch' business philosophy to enhance the customer experience,” said DadeSystems President and CEO Bill Zayas. “We are pleased that they immediately saw the architectural advantages of our DadePay AR Automation system over both of their existing systems and made the decision to replace them with our integrated offering. We look forward to working with Customers Bank to incorporate DadePay into their innovative customer service strategy.”

BNY Mellon, a global leader in investment management and investment services, has made the utilization of SWIFT's Know Your Customer (KYC) Registry an integral part of its enhanced client onboarding process.

Designed to help users reduce the cost, effort and risk related to KYC compliance, SWIFT's KYC Registry includes nearly 1,500 financial institutions, including banks, fund distributors and custodians, in more than 170 countries. Developed in collaboration with major global financial institutions, the Registry provides a streamlined, global centralized repository and data sharing platform for standardized information about correspondent banks required for KYC compliance. 

Banks and other financial institutions contribute baseline data and documentation to the Registry for validation by SWIFT. Once it becomes part of the Registry, the information can be shared with counterparties of the participating financial institutions. Participating financial institutions retain ownership of the information they provide, and also must approve requests from other Registry users to access their information. SWIFT operates the service and provides an ongoing review of the information, notifying Registry users when the information they have contributed is out of date.

Focused on providing clients with an enhanced onboarding experience, the reengineering of BNY Mellon's process includes initiatives to streamline and simplify the collection and management of onboarding information. Utilities like SWIFT's KYC Registry will be utilized to quickly and efficiently obtain information that previously clients may have been asked to provide, and standardized onboarding information will be made readily, reliably and securely available across multiple lines of business. The end result will be less time and effort devoted to onboarding and a more rapid transition to helping clients achieve their investment objectives.

"Standardization and transparency - hallmarks of the onboarding improvements we're making - were built into SWIFT's KYC Registry. Our utilization of SWIFT's KYC Registry is a great example of how the reengineering of our onboarding process is leveraging best-in-class industry utilities," said Amy G. Harkins, managing director and global process owner for client onboarding at BNY Mellon. "It also demonstrates how our strategic focus on operational excellence translates into significant benefits for our clients — in this case, enhanced KYC support as part of account openings and maintenance."

"'We are delighted to welcome another major global provider of correspondent banking services to The KYC Registry community," said Bart Claeys, Head of KYC Compliance Services, SWIFT. "As a longtime, valued partner, BNY Mellon has made important contributions to a number of SWIFT initiatives. Their participation in The KYC Registry continues and enhances that tradition."

GBST Holdings Limited, a provider of securities transaction and fund administration software for the financial services industry, has entered into an agreement to provide Haitong International Securities Group Limited with an institutional middle office solution utilising GBST’s Syn~ platform. This implementation is expected to go live by the end of 2015.

The GBST Syn~ application is a rules-based, workflow-driven solution that allows easy integration with existing systems. It is designed to provide high automation across the full range of middle and back-office operations, achieving streamlined operations with reduced risk and cost.

“We are thrilled to be working with Haitong International, one of China’s leading financial institutions, as part of their international business expansion. Through GBST’s Syn~ platform, Haitong International will further enhance their existing process to better handle significant trading volumes with a low-latency matching and confirmations capability,” says Donal O'Brien, CEO Asia – GBST.

“Haitong International continues to expand and develop new business lines. A key component of this is the adoption of internationally accredited systems such as GBST Syn~”, says Andrew Sullivan, Managing Director of Sales Trading, Haitong International. “We believe that GBST’s middle-office will allow us to respond to market changes and increased customer demands in an efficient and timely manner.”

“This contract with Haitong further demonstrates our commitment to the Asian region”, says Denis Orrock, CEO of GBST Capital Markets. “GBST has a long history providing solutions to Global Investment Banks within the region, working with Haitong International is representative of our strategy to leverage our international experience and engage within local and regional market participants.”

Principia Partners, a solution provider for derivative and structured finance operations, launched pasVal, an online portfolio valuation, risk, and accounting management service.

The pasVal service is a web-based interface that leverages Principia’s 20+ years of derivatives expertise. Its valuations engine provides complete portfolio reporting to a wide range of derivative specialists who require sophisticated pricing and analytics without the burden of full-scale system ownership.

“We recognized there were many businesses that wanted access to our award-winning pricing capabilities but who also wanted to minimize their systems’ infrastructure, not add to it. With pasVal, we’ve eliminated that concern” said Theresa Adams, President and CEO of Principia. “The monthly subscription service helps portfolio and risk managers quickly value and analyze that most complex, headache-producing subset of their derivative portfolio which usually requires intense manual effort. Consultants, advisors, regulators, and auditors will also discover that pasVal targets their requirements perfectly. With pasVal, they can tap into the sophisticated valuation capabilities they need without also having to take on additional infrastructure costs. We think pasVal is just the kind of service they’ve been waiting for.”

Profile Software, an international financial solutions provider, announced today the effectiveness of its strategic approach to the Swiss Financial market with the addition of new clients and users of its product range as well as new partnerships that aim to reach new business opportunities in the country.

Profile Software Suisse part of the Profile Software Group, has successfully delivered wealth management pertinent solutions to Swiss-based private banks, fund management and wealth management firms. The established partnership has successfully met the company’s business objectives while new partners are being added to the Profile’s network to address the German speaking market and other regions in the country.

With the focus on meeting future client expectations, Profile is developing its local team with knowledgeable industry professionals and specialised integrators to further advance its regional expertise delivering sophisticated, technologically advanced solutions to the financial services sector.

Among the solutions that have successfully been implemented in the Swiss market are: IMSplus, the award-winning investment management platform and Mobius Wealth the mobile wealth management solution, due to their advanced functionality and modularity to successfully meet the client-centric and specialised requirements of wealth management firms and Private Banks alike. Following the recent announcement in the Swiss market, Axia, the web-based, omni-channel application that provides complete flexibility to IAMs and Banks, without the need of internal IT infrastructure, is receiving increased interest. Axia incorporates a powerful client onboarding solution that accelerates the process without comprimising on compliance or business policies’ requirements. It seamlessly integrates with any back-end system, while offering a unique client experience.

To effectively address the market changing needs, Profile invests in industry specific events such as the Finance Summit, which takes place on the 1^st and 2^nd of October at the Beau Rivage Palace, in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Summit, as a key forum for the Swiss financial services sector, aims to connect Banking and Investment Management executives with software experts to discuss new ideas and trends that add value to their business strategy. This is achieved via the arrangement of one-to-one meetings and short industry-focused presentations. Profile’s executives will have the opportunity to present the enhanced and newly developed investment management platforms for the market that focus on delivering flexibility and agility across the business.

Profile Software’s solutions have been succesfully implemented in Swiss financial institutions, to effectively manage their operations, while the company has been awarded for its excellence in delivering cutting edge solutions to the financial services industry.

Path Solutions, a pioneer and worldwide provider of cutting-edge Islamic core banking systems is proud to announce that it has been named “Best Islamic Finance Technology Provider” for a third time at the Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA) 2015. 

Launched in 2011 at the ‘First Oman Islamic Economic Forum’ in Muscat, the GIFA awards recognize and celebrate success and contributions of individuals and institutions in the Islamic financial services industry. Their objective is to highlight best practices and key milestones in this extremely competitive sector.

The “Best Islamic Finance Technology Provider 2015” category has been awarded to Path Solutions for maintaining its leading position in the global Islamic financial services sector by continually investing in capacity and technology to stay well ahead of market needs.

“Islamic finance is undergoing huge and exciting changes and Path Solutions is at the center of that”, said Mohammed Kateeb, Group Chairman & CEO of Path Solutions. “To be named GIFA’s “Best Islamic Finance Technology Provider” for the third time is a great honor. This award underscores the growing recognition, on a global scale, of the Sharia-compliant banking technological solutions in order to keep pace with an ever-evolving industry. Vital to our on-going success is the combination of talent, business and technical know-how and the commitment to knowledge sharing. We continue to be impressed with the breadth of impact we leave on Islamic financial institutions - those who are using our advanced software solutions, with many success stories documented to help inspire industry peers”.

“Path Solutions’ Islamic software suite helps Islamic financial institutions become more resilient, more efficient and more competitive, by streamlining their operations and significantly reducing their total cost of ownership”, commented Prof. Humayun Dar, Founding Chairman & CEO of GIFA and Edbiz Consulting. “They have assisted many Islamic financial institutions in achieving their strategic goals of customer retention, enhanced profitability and increased market share. We congratulate Path Solutions on this achievement and wish them further success in the future”.

Since 2011, GIFA has celebrated the world’s most dynamic institutions and highly eminent individuals who contributed in driving the industry forward. Award winners were selected from among hundreds of applicants by a selection committee who bases its decision on criteria including innovation, vision, leadership and industry commitment.

The 2015 GIFA award winners were honored during the GIFA Awards Ceremony in Manama, Bahrain, on September 28, in the presence of HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II, Emir of Kano who received the "Global Leadership in Islamic Finance” award. In addition, the ambassadors of UK, Malaysia and Pakistan in Bahrain also graced the occasion with their presence.

This year sets a new benchmark for Path Solutions as the only IT vendor to be consistently positioned as “Number One Islamic Banking Software Provider” and “Best Selling Islamic Core Banking System Provider Worldwide” for the past 23 years; a position held since its inception in 1992.

For more information on the GIFA’s 2015 awards’ recipients, please visit this page:

http://edbizconsulting.com/index.php/gifa/past-winners

Misys, the global financial software and services company, has been named a National Champion for the United Kingdom in the European Business Awards. The awards is a prestigious competition supported by business leaders, academics, media and political representatives from across Europe. 

Misys was selected for the Award for Customer Focus in recognition of Misys Connect, the client engagement model the company developed in 2014. Misys Connect comprises 18 value-added complimentary programmes designed to help Misys customers drive competitive advantage and maximise the return on their technology investments. Misys has already connected over 800 clients to at least one programme and have numerous examples from around the world of Misys Connect leading to increased levels of customer satisfaction and revenue growth.

Nadeem Syed, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We’re very proud to be selected to represent the UK as a National Champion. The European Business Awards are widely recognised as the showcase for Europe’s most dynamic companies and we are now looking forward to the next round of the judging process where we can explain in more depth how we are achieving business success.”

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards, said: “Congratulations to Misys and all the companies that have been selected to represent their country as National Champions, they play an important part in creating a stronger business community.”

Now in its ninth year, the awards engaged with over 32,000 businesses from 33 European countries this year. There are 678 companies from across Europe that have been named as National Champions, all of whom go through to the second phase of the competition.

For further information about Misys, please visit www.misys.com. For more information about the European Business Awards and RSM, please visit www.businessawardseurope.com or www.rsmi.com.