Survey signals ambition is moving faster than the infrastructure beneath it: 59% of firms are now working with digital assets, yet 39% cite them as their single greatest operational challenge 

A new industry study warns that post‑trade operations are entering a period of acute structural strain, as firms race toward digital assets, AI adoption, and data‑driven workflows on top of already rising transaction volumes.

The 2026 Investments and Capital Markets (ICM) Survey—conducted by AutoRek across more than 250 senior operations, finance, and technology leaders in the UK and US—paints a picture of an industry where ambition is accelerating faster than the infrastructure beneath it.

Scalability confidence erodes as volumes surge

Daily transactional volumes now average 460,000, and respondents expect a further 28% increase over the next two years. Yet confidence in the ability to absorb that growth is dwindling.

Only 14% say their current processes are easily scalable, while 85% say their operations already struggle—or will soon struggle—to keep pace. Firms report that nearly 16% of operational budgets are spent fixing issues caused by manual processes

The result is a widening gap between volume growth and operational readiness.  

Digital assets move from curiosity to operational stressor

Digital assets have shifted decisively into the mainstream, with 59% of firms now working with them. But adoption is bringing new friction. 39% cite digital assets as their single greatest operational challenge. This represents a sharp year‑over‑year increase, (from 27% to 40% among U.S. firms).signalling a move from awareness to execution pressure.

AI adoption is widespread—but still shallow

AI is nearly universal across the surveyed firms, but maturity remains limited. 98% use AI in some capacity, yet only 14% have fully integrated AI across operations. While 42% report broad departmental use, but most deployments remain isolated or experimental

The industry appears stuck in a transitional phase: enthusiastic adoption without the architectural integration needed to deliver meaningful efficiency or risk reduction.

The manual‑process tax is now a material financial risk

Manual work remains deeply embedded in post‑trade operations: 82% say a large proportion of operational activity is still manual. On average, 15.9% of operational budgets are spent remediating manual‑process failures.

 Data integration emerges as a critical pressure point

As firms expand into new asset classes and AI‑enabled workflows, data plumbing is becoming a bottleneck. 41% cite data integration and compatibility as their top challenge

Fragmented data models, legacy systems, and inconsistent controls are now constraining both automation and risk management.