pControl™ Algorithmic Portfolio Management solution profile is intended for organizations managing product centric Asset Allocation models delivering outcome-based investment solutions via cross-invested pooled products or complex investment structures.

Designed to address the needs of Chief Investment Officers, Portfolio Managers, Compliance Teams and Investment Operations requiring automation of asset allocation algorithms with flexibility to manage tactical implementation decisions, including:

  • Specialist Multi-Managers
  • Custom Target Date Fund (CTDF) Providers
  • DC Investment Only (DCIO) Providers
  • DC Pension Providers
  • UK Trust Based Pension Providers
  • Australian Superannuation Funds
  • Trust Company and Retirement Services Providers

Uniquely, this solution profile addresses the needs of large Asset Owners and Pension Funds who manage assets in support of Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit schemes, and who seek to integrate the multi-manager investment implementation processes through the front office and middle office while leveraging their third-party service provider relationships for back office accounting and custody.

Investment Product Capabilities

  • Automated implementation of investment products via Cash Allocation & Rebalancing for:
    • Fund-of-fund based products
    • Managed Allocation or Model Portfolio based products
    • Custom Target Date Funds and Outcome based products
  • Tailored Asset Allocation algorithms for top-down cascading of cash or rebalancing through unitized investment structures based on product, asset class, vehicle or portfolio manager requirements
  • Model Portfolio support for managing notional allocations across like-product categories, target date vintages or secondary cohorts
  • Automatic adjustment of Investment Glide Paths between target date vintages to generated smoothed investment targets

Portfolio Manager Capabilities

  • Portfolio Management Dashboard view of product Asset Allocation models into cross invested interfund vehicles; or through to external pooled products, proprietary fund products, limited partnerships and separately managed or segregated mandate accounts
  • Product level drill through of multiple asset allocation structures to show valuations, weights and detailed compliance alerts, and to allow Portfolio Managers interact with the automated product allocations
  • Co-existence of automated algorithmic Cash Allocation & Rebalancing across standardised or client specific Asset Allocation models, with ability to manage discretion within bounds for Implementation Efficiency

Compliance Capabilities

  • Portfolio Management Dashboard to allow both Portfolio Managers and Compliance Teams to monitor actual portfolio weights relative to policy guidelines and manage compliance events across multiple clients or products
  • Ability to define multiple Investment Structures and multiple Compliance checks to represent both the external Asset Allocation Policy as well as internal Risk Policy settings
  • Effective Exposure or synthetic asset re-allocations to calculate true Asset Allocation positions
  • Capture and management of multiple user definable operating ranges, such as:
    • Investor Policy Statement (IPS) or Product Disclosure Statement (PDS)
    • Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA)
    • Tactical Asset Allocation (TAA)
  • Multiple weight calculation definitions to support IPS, PDS, SAA, and TAA compliance
  • Auditable compliance events demonstrating adherence to IPS, PDS, SAA and TAA ranges

Investment Operations Capabilities

  • Order Management transaction life-cycle for placement, approval and settlement instructions and notifications to multiple custodians, multiple transfer agencies and multiple asset managers
  • Proprietary product Order Management of inter-plan investment cashflows and receipt of external transfer agency cashflows
  • Cash Forecasting for management of client funding and liquidity demands
  • Integrated Reconciliations for Cash, Transactions and Holdings
  • Attention Status Monitor  dashboards to allow Investment Operations personnel to manage exceptions and escalations across the entire Investment Process
  • Standardized data loads, transaction reports, transaction instruction and notification exports with SWIFT, EMX and scanned document/fax interface support

Benefits

  • Reduced operational risk through Portfolio Managers, Compliance Teams and Investment Operations personnel utilizing a single platform to provide transparency for automated allocations, approved and confirmed order instructions
  • Scale efficiency and low cost product construction through automated STP cash allocation and rebalancing, order management, and (optionally) NAV Pricing and Fund Accounting
  • Improved investment efficiency to accommodate illiquid or held away assets, asset holdbacks, reallocation of exposure and forecasting of available liquidity
  • Flexibility for growth in new product development with ability to define multiple asset allocation structures with multiple compliance ranges
  • Reduced counterparty risk in cash and unit order management of trade instructions or manager notifications, as well as transaction documentation capture processes for physical documents
  • Reduced data handling effort and cost through inbuilt data management for start of day positions, internal holding, transaction and available cash reconciliations

Oversight of Outsourcing Arrangements

For organisations who have outsourced their NAV Pricing and Fund Accounting functions, optional integration of NAV Oversight capabilities to provide risk assurance over daily valuation for Collective Trust Funds, Sector Interfunds or Proprietary Products.

Benefits include:

  • Reduced operational risk for investors and strengthening of fiduciary controls
  • True and independent verification ensures that outsourced functions are up to the highest standards
  • Eliminates the need for excel spreadsheets and multiple disparate systems

Hybrid or Fully In-sourced Operations

For organisations who have sufficient scale to support a hybrid or a fully in-sourced Operating Model, this solution may be extended to include:

  • NAV Calculation & Pricing capabilities to provide end-to-end integration of fund accounting functions on a single pooled product IBOR / ABOR infrastructure, and support valuation more complex investment structures
  • Integrated Fund Accounting or sub-ledger accounting support to simplify integration with scheme financial control or General Ledger operations
  • Integrated Income Distribution processing for special purpose vehicle under separate Trustee / Responsible Entity  arrangements

Extensibility

  • When implemented with Fund Analytics provides simple fund return comparison analysis, time series generation, charting and ex-post risk analysis
  • When implemented with Performance & Attribution provides accurate performance attribution for multi-asset multi-level investment structures, including lookthrough and interfund performance for segregated mandates / separately managed accounts