BST Awards 2022: Best buy-side client reporting platform—Clearwater Analytics

Overview

Asset managers are dealing with increasingly complex portfolios, regulatory restrictions, tight margins and a rising number of black swan events. Clearwater Analytics is responding to these challenges through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution for automated investment data aggregation, reconciliation, accounting, compliance, risk management and reporting. Clients use Clearwater’s automated custom reports to track their investment portfolios.

What problem does it address?  

Clearwater Analytics automatically collects the investment data clients need and provides them with access to a range of reports from their user dashboard. Reports can be customized to meet firms’ unique portfolio, compliance, risk and performance needs. Data is updated daily, which provides investors with the information they need to respond quickly and confidently in the fast-evolving investment landscape.

Secret sauce 

Clearwater Analytics is a true SaaS-based investment accounting platform that delivers detailed investment data reporting. Users benefit from its extensive “network effect,” which helps to improve the accuracy and completeness of the reporting system. The multi-tenant architecture provides investment groups with the access they need at every level of their organization to ensure all users have accurate, timely data.

Recent milestones

• The reporting platform has benefited from the introduction of a hybrid/blended benchmark methodology, new cash flow and yield analysis reports and new enhancements for Solvency II reports.
• Clearwater opened new offices to support its global client base and ensure users can access the information they need at any time.
• Partnerships were developed to enrich Clearwater’s global dataset and improve reporting capabilities across the platform.

Future objectives 

• Clearwater will continue to invest approximately 25% of its revenue in R&D and expand the platform’s reporting capabilities.
• It aims to maintain its client retention rate of 98% by continuing to adapt to and prioritize the needs of new and existing clients.
• It will expand the reporting capabilities in the alternative investing space to meet growing client demands.

Why they won 

This is a special year for Boise, Idaho-based Clearwater Analytics, given that it marks the inaugural win for the investment accounting and reporting specialist in the annual Buy-Side Technology Awards. The firm’s eponymous SaaS-based platform is at the heart of its buy-side proposition, offering clients a range of customizable portfolio, compliance, risk and performance reports. Given this win and considering the entrants it was up against in this category, only a fool would bet against Clearwater making it into the winners’ circle again next year.