Cross-border fund distribution operations: Making investment funds easily accessible to global investors — A wake up call

Abstract

This paper looks at the disappointing progress made in terms of processing efficiencies in the cross-border funds industry despite more than a decade of heavy investment in this field. It aims to identify the main reasons why so little progress has been made over these years, why so many Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) funds’ investors and distributors have not embraced the automation solutions that they were offered and what the risks for the UCITS industry could be if it does not improve the way UCITS funds are accessed by their global and diverse investor base. The paper aims to challenge the way the industry has tackled this problem until now and proposes new options and ways to solve the automation challenge faced by the industry.