HONG KONG, June 15 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fifty percent of Asian pension funds and investment managers attending Northern Trust’s (Nasdaq: NTRS) advisory seminar for clients, hosted in late May in Hong Kong, said their organisations had outsourced or considered outsourcing some middle office functions in the past five years. However, just over a third (38 percent) had actually implemented an outsourcing project in that period.

“With evolving regulatory requirements, a low-yield environment and continuing pressure on pricing and cost structures, both asset owners and asset managers are facing considerable challenges and increasing complexity in the market,” said Caroline Higgins, head of Global Fund Services for Asia, at Northern Trust. “Some institutional investors have found value in middle office outsourcing, which allows them to leverage the expertise of global providers, such as Northern Trust, with capabilities and servicing hubs in Asia. We expect to see more uptake of middle office outsourcing in the region as institutional investors increasingly see the solution’s benefits.”

The survey revealed that institutional investors’ decisions about outsourcing are most influenced by perceptions of the service provider’s IT infrastructure, with 58 percent of respondents citing it as the ‘most important driver’ in outsourcing decisions. Cost considerations were top of the list for only a quarter (25 percent) of those surveyed, and just 17 percent considered a provider’s scale to be the most important driver.

Commenting on the survey findings, Higgins added: “Northern Trust invests in cutting-edge technologies and we are well-placed to support institutional investors through our robust IT infrastructure. This survey underlines that middle office outsourcing can offer sophisticated analytics, more accessible and up-to-date data, as well as keep pace with market, regulatory and technological developments.”

Northern Trust globally provides depositary, custody, fund administration, investment operations outsourcing, and regulatory solutions to investment managers worldwide and across the spectrum of asset classes.

About Northern Trust

Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has offices in the United States in 19 states and Washington, D.C., and 22 international locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of March 31, 2017, Northern Trust had assets under custody of US$7.1 trillion, and assets under management of US$1 trillion. For more than 125 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity and innovation. Visit northerntrust.com or follow us on Twitter @NorthernTrust.

Northern Trust Corporation, Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A., incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Global legal and regulatory information can be found at https://www.northerntrust.com/disclosures.