INTERVIEW | Join Chris Rowland, executive vice president, head of custody, digital and fund services product at State Street Bank and Trust at the upcoming PostTrade 360° conference, where he will be discussing how firms can leverage technology innovation in a session on how the rise of AI and the growth of digital assets are reframing securities services.
Artificial intelligence and digital assets are fundamentally reshaping securities services. AI is making operations more intelligent through automation, data analysis and exception management, while digital assets are creating new requirements around custody, recordkeeping and interoperability.
“My view is that these trends are driving a shift from traditional asset servicing towards a more connected model that integrates assets, cash, data and risk,” explains Rowland. “The future will not be about replacing existing market infrastructure but about enabling traditional and digital ecosystems to operate together securely, efficiently and at scale.” He refers to AI as the most significant near-term catalyst because it is already delivering tangible operational benefits across areas such as reconciliation, trade processing, fund onboarding and anomaly detection. It is helping firms manage increasing complexity while improving efficiency and control.
“At the same time, the growth of tokenised funds, digital cash models and other digital assets is moving the industry from experimentation towards real-world implementation. Together, these developments are increasing demand for securities services providers that can support both traditional and digital assets through a single, resilient operating model.”
This discussion is particularly relevant for asset managers, asset owners, wealth firms and institutional investors assessing how their operating models need to evolve. “The key takeaway is that investors should look beyond traditional custody and settlement,” adds Rowland. “Future success will depend on data quality, interoperability, operational resilience and the ability to support both traditional and digital asset ecosystems.”
He suggests that investors should also prepare for a more real-time environment, where AI plays a larger role in servicing and decision making and where custody, cash and collateral become increasingly connected parts of a single market infrastructure.
