The pursuit for improving automation levels goes back a long time in the capital markets. Success has been achieved in some areas, but a lot remains to be done. Growing digitization across trade and client lifecycle in recent years means lack of automation at any stage of processing can be a critical source of inefficiency and risk.

Simple digitization can be a critical lever for firms that are at an early stage of the automation journey. While most sell side institutions are relatively mature by now, level of automation can vary depending on asset class, or functional area, such as derivatives or structured products processing, or client onboarding. Conventional rules-based workflow automation, and new technology such as cloud, API, and microservices, can also help improve automation.

New technology developments offer opportunities for significantly improving automation. The biggest focus in the pursuit for improving automation is currently seen on leveraging next-generation automation tools such as RPA, smart agents, cognitive tools, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning. These intelligent automation tools can perform many tasks from basic to complex.