Consolidation firmly takes hold as scale takes centre stage
Asset and wealth managers have entered 2021 after a stressful year dealing with COVID-19’s many shocks and aftereffects. As executives responded to significant market disruptions, an underlying industry theme around building assets under management (AUM) scale through partnerships and M&A activity took a firm hold.
Firms looked to grow AUM quickly by sealing new partnerships and exploring M&A options. We observed a flurry of transactions and restructurings in the sector, with several large transactions announced. Asset and wealth managers accelerated their focus towards defining and moving towards a new target operating model, one where scale ambitions plays a central role.
A&M’s Financial Services team’s latest report analysis how asset and wealth managers have accelerated a drive towards scale, making the year 2020 the beginning of a significant consolidation cycle.
Migrating from Systems of Record (SoR) to Systems of Intelligence (SoI)
March 24, 2026
Financial institutions do not have a core banking problem. They have a decisioning problem. For decades, banks optimized Systems of Record (SoR) to post transactions with precision and maintain regulatory integrity. That battle has largely been won. What now differentiates institutions is not how accurately they book activity, but how intelligently and quickly they make decisions.
From Experimentation to Execution Discipline: How Leading Insurers Are Converting Insurtech Partnerships into Measurable Returns
March 24, 2026
A&M’s latest report, in partnership with InsurtechNY, reveals how leading carriers turn innovation into measurable returns, the structural barriers that hold most back, and a practical framework to scale partnerships with accountability and results.
CBUAE Resilience Package: What It Means for Your Institution
March 24, 2026
Our senior experts unpack the Central Bank of the UAE’s five-pillar Resilience Package, offering a practical lens on what it means for bank boards and CROs. From buffer utilisation and IFRS 9 staging to liquidity, lending, and operational resilience, they outline the critical considerations shaping near-term decision-making.
Alvarez & Marsal Releases FY 2025 UAE Banking Pulse
March 23, 2026
Despite geopolitical headwinds, sector performance was underpinned by a supportive macro backdrop and sustained business activity.
