Founder & CEO
Global Growth in Q1
Throughout Q1 2019 we at AQMetrics kept a singular focus on exceptional customer experience. This has lead to of a number of large UK hedge funds signing up for the AQMetrics experience. Leading global fund administrators such as Apex Fund Services (Group) Ltd. decided that AQMetrics was their platform of choice in their quest for a multi-jurisdictional, robust, secure and scalable solution. The adoption of AQMetrics spread into another continent last month when Sanlam Group a leader in wealth creation and insurance in Africa adopted AQMetrics.
Harnessing Data Value for Clients
In Q1 we sharpened our focus on a unique customer journey to ensure that our customers harness the true value of their data assets. Our data visualisation dashboards, configurable rules engine, workflow and reports are continually being extended to ensure that our customers intelligently make use of their data in AQMetrics’ robust and secure cloud based platform.
Quantamental Risk Solution
In February, at TSAM London, I announced the combination of our qualitative solutions with our quantitative risk analytics and rules engine to create the first quantamental regulatory risk solution in the market. There was immediate resounding interest and I quickly learnt that a strategically defined, technologically advanced solution allowing for the capture of human fundamental analysis combined with the quantitative view of the machine is what the market had been searching for. Many people in the alternative funds industry told me immediately after my speech that they have been trying for years to find the solution. It is amazing, in 2019, that people are struggling in their risk management roles to such a degree that they must create their own spreadsheets to marry their qualitative risk views with quant outputs from a myriad of systems. It is the AQMetrics aim to alleviate that market issue and create better experiences of all risk management professionals in the industry we serve.
Post-Brexit
We remain committed to our London office and clients irrespective of Brexit outcomes. In Q1 2019 we applied for and received deemed authorization from the FCA to continue serving the UK market as an FCA approved data reporting service provider post Brexit. This means that post Brexit AQMetrics will be regulated by not one but two regulators, the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) and the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
As a result of Brexit, Financial Services firms have significantly invested in growing operations in Ireland and across Central Europe. With over 50% of AQMetrics revenue coming from clients based in the United States, and their increased attention towards Central Europe, AQMetrics now plans to open a Paris office this quarter. Further to our U.S. based clients, we now work with a number of French financial institutions and have decided to commit to the region so that our people are close to the ever growing number of Parisian based industry leaders who trust AQMetrics.
In summary, as more industry leaders trust and adopt AQMetrics for their regulatory risk management needs, our singular focus on exceptional customer experience continues to drive us to scale globally and invest further into product development much to the delight of our existing clients. Q1 has been a strong quarter for AQMetrics and we look forward to continued mass adoption throughout 2019 and beyond.