Thursday 31st May, 2018 – Wealth tech firm, JHC Systems (JHC) has published its latest research report ‘Compliance and Regulation in UK Wealth Management: Perspectives, Budgets, Views and Intentions’, in association with wealth management benchmarking firm Compeer Ltd. The analysis provides an understanding of how the compliance function is evolving in terms of spending, headcount and technology, and what constant regulatory change means for UK wealth managers and their clients.

The report evaluates what firms have learned from their MiFID II and GDPR strategies and how they are using that knowledge and experience to prepare for the future. In summary, it revealed:

• Firms are gearing up for an increase in people being employed, processes being updated and businesses making better use of technology – 80% expect the amount of change in 2019 to be high or very high compared to 2018
• Every new rule and regulation can ultimately be turned to commercial advantage, with 93% of respondents saying that compliance could be used strategically
• Because many regulatory changes affect the entire enterprise, 50% of the firms questioned said the costs of compliance are seen as a core business cost rather than a department-specific expense
• 50% of interviewees intend to spend more on risk management in 2018 than they did in 2017, with the Senior Managers and Certification Regime high on the agenda

Andrew Watson, head of regulatory change at JHC said: “A key takeaway is that compliance, in common with portfolio management, account administration and client service, is now part of the fabric of the wealth management business and plays an essential role in in the firm’s growth and business development strategies. Taking a positive approach to regulation ensures that firms stop wasting time and other resources on ‘firefighting” tasks. Instead, firms can use each new rule and directive to their strategic advantage and have the confidence of knowing that their regulatory status is unimpeachable.”

The report’s results are from interviews with heads of compliance and c-suite roles at private banks, private client investment managers and full-service investment managers responsible for managing £350bn of private client assets – almost 40% of the industry’s total assets under management in the UK.

To see the full findings, please see https://jhc.financial/insights/research/compliance-regulation-research