European wealth managers continue to operate in a challenging and dynamic environment driven by changing client expectations, heightened regulatory scrutiny, advancements in technology, and tightening margins. The front office vendors that support these wealth managers must continue to invest in forward-looking technology and solutions to stand out in a fragmented and competitive landscape.

This report, the first of three, examines the leading European vendors of front office platforms. The following vendors are included:

• Atos
• Charles River Development
• Finantix
• Intellect Design
• Openfinance
• Prometeia
• TechRules
• Temenos

“Differentiation among key functionalities, such as collaborative workspaces between advisors and clients, automation of onboarding and reporting processes, and robust financial planning components, as well as modular, flexible, scalable, and customizable offerings are more important than ever,” says Ashley Globerman, an analyst with Celent’s Wealth Management practice and author of the report.

Front office platform providers support the advisory process, from acquisition to ongoing maintenance and retention, in a single workflow. These components include client relationship management, financial planning, portfolio management, and portfolio monitoring. Reporting straddles front office and back/middle office operations.

This study uses the Celent ABCD Vendor View, which shows at a glance the relative position of vendors in the following categories: Advanced Technology, Breadth of Functionality, Customer Base (number of clients), and Depth of Client Services on two separate X/Y scales.

Note: Intellect Design and Temenos are included in the comparison tables, but not in the ABCD analysis.