Deep strategic and operational expertise supporting startups and vendors in the information services ecosystem.
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Warning: this post does not discuss AI I have wanted to write a post on Alternative Data for a long time. There are a number of reasons for that – across business strategy, content strategy and current market catalysts. The path to product and industry maturity A brief history of Alternative Data Alternative data is…
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In March we reviewed Patrick Donaldson’s take on why WealthTech in Asia is different, as well as the size of the prize. This week we’re following up with specifics on market entry. Patrick, before we start, you’re in London this week meeting WealthTech customers, can you share a little on that? Patrick: The UK has…
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Markets have oscillated wildly in recent months, the debate raging over how to assess and price SaaS industry vulnerability. A fascinating discourse has erupted across social media, investor briefings and the financial press. Pundits, investors and CEO opinions diverge wildly, from imminent catastrophe to the more complacent “our business model is invulnerable”. In the narrower…
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APAC remains the fastest growing wealth market globally. Accenture estimates $363T of assets in the region in 2026. Yet for western WealthTech vendors, an Asian expansion the market remains a challenging maneuver. I sat down with Patrick Donaldson, founder of Mkt Dev APAC, to talk through what works and what doesn’t. We’ll probably do a…
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In 2011, Marc Andreessen wrote that software is eating the world. The catchy title conveyed the transformative role software was playing across a range of industries, the thesis aged remarkably well. Today, it is the software vendors who find themselves on the precipice. In under a generation the world has pivoted, it is their turn…
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Introduction This overview is designed to provide a short overview of the global WealthTech and specifically AdvisorTech landscape, from the private banking led models of Singapore, HK, UAE and Switzerland, to the mass affluent led models of more populous jurisdictions, such as the United States, Canada, UK, Japan or Australia. The Wealth Management or WealthTech…
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Introduction Having written on 21st century desktop strategy, a natural corollary is to elevate that discussion, focusing on the financial markets landscape in terms of changes in content demand and supply and the implications for both providers and consumers. One could write in depth on all of these themes (and, in time, I might) but…
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The only constant is change 2025 was a fascinating year given the changes we’re starting to see from AI for market data and broader decision support desktops. This is without any doubt the fastest rate of change I’ve seen, going back to 2003 on the vendor side and the late 90s as a user. It’s…
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Simple best practices are often overlooked Working with a number of founders and having experienced numerous leadership teams and regimes across a career in Information Services, I thought I would share some of the most searing lessons. CEO of any company is hard, so this isn’t an ad hominem attack on individuals, teams or firms,…
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More of the same… As the books close on 2025, most budgets and plans for 2026 are complete. These planning cycles typically make a variety of baseline assumptions, that the macro environment will look similar to the year prior, that we will experience ‘relative’ geopolitical stability and, critically, that customer priorities and purchasing patterns will…
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This is the first in a series of articles on AI and its impact for info services, by role types, platform, industry, asset class. The hype around AI can be breathless, though as you look at what is already possible with the technology, it is hard not to [already] be amazed. This post focuses on…
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After just short of 20 years with LSEG and its predecessors, I’m leaving at the end of 2025. It’s been a fantastic journey and I’m grateful for the experiences and the friendship, but equally I’m excited about the opportunity to do something different, to get closer to the enormous, vibrant ecosystem of smaller firms developing…
