{"id":29435,"date":"2026-02-17T14:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T14:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davies-group.com\/consulting\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=29435"},"modified":"2026-02-25T16:30:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:30:38","slug":"key-trends-coos-must-prepare-for-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/davies-group.com\/consulting\/blog\/key-trends-coos-must-prepare-for-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Next for Asset Management Operations: Key Trends COOs Must Prepare for in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As asset managers move into 2026, the role of the COO and operations leadership has never been more pivotal. Cost pressure, regulatory complexity, product proliferation, and client expectations are converging \u2014 all while legacy operating models strain under the weight of scale and complexity.<\/p>\n<p>The next phase of asset management operations is not about incremental improvement. It is about\u00a0<strong>re-architecting how work gets done<\/strong>, how risk is managed, and how value is delivered.<\/p>\n<p>Below are the\u00a0<strong>9 key trends<\/strong>\u00a0COOs and operations teams should be planning for now.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>1. Operations as a Strategic Control Tower<\/h2>\n<p>In 2026, leading COOs are moving beyond managing \u201cthe back office\u201d toward building\u00a0<strong>enterprise control towers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This means:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>End-to-end visibility across front-to-back workflows<\/li>\n<li>Real-time insight into exceptions, breaks, and risk exposures<\/li>\n<li>Data-driven decision-making instead of retrospective reporting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Operations teams are increasingly responsible for providing management with\u00a0<strong>actionable operational intelligence<\/strong>, not just status updates.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What to do now:<\/strong>\u00a0Invest in integrated dashboards that consolidate data from trading, accounting, risk, and servicing platforms into a single operational view.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>2. From Automation to Industrialised Operations<\/h2>\n<p>Most firms have automated pieces of their operation. In 2026, the focus shifts to\u00a0<strong>industrialisation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Key characteristics:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Standardised processes across products and geographies<\/li>\n<li>Automation embedded into workflows, not bolted on<\/li>\n<li>Exception-based processing as the default<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>AI-enabled tools are increasingly trusted to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Predict settlement and reconciliation issues<\/li>\n<li>Prioritise operational risk events<\/li>\n<li>Reduce manual touchpoints across the trade lifecycle<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>COO takeaway:<\/strong>\u00a0The goal is not fewer people \u2014 it\u2019s fewer errors, faster resolution, and more scalable growth.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>3. Operating Model Simplification and Stack Rationalisation<\/h2>\n<p>Years of growth, acquisitions, and regulatory responses have left many firms with bloated technology stacks and fragmented processes.<\/p>\n<p>In 2026, COOs are aggressively:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rationalising overlapping systems<\/li>\n<li>Reducing vendor sprawl<\/li>\n<li>Aligning technology decisions to target operating models<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This trend is tightly linked to cost discipline and operational resilience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key question for operations leaders:<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Does our technology stack reflect how we want to operate \u2014 or how we ended up here?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>4. Data Ownership Moves to Operations<\/h2>\n<p>Data has traditionally sat with IT or investment teams. That is changing.<\/p>\n<p>In 2026:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Operations teams increasingly\u00a0<strong>own data quality, lineage, and governance<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Clean, consistent data is viewed as a prerequisite for automation and AI<\/li>\n<li>Regulatory and client reporting expectations demand traceability and transparency<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>COOs are recognising that <strong>data is an operational asset<\/strong>, not just a technology problem.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Priority action:<\/strong> Establish clear data ownership within operations and formalise data standards across critical processes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>5. Real-Time Processing Becomes the New Standard<\/h2>\n<p>Settlement cycles continue to compress, and clients expect near-instant visibility.<\/p>\n<p>Operations teams are adapting by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Shifting from batch to event-driven processing<\/li>\n<li>Implementing real-time reconciliation and cash management<\/li>\n<li>Proactively managing exceptions rather than reacting to them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This real-time mindset improves control while reducing operational fire drills.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bottom line:<\/strong>\u00a0Speed and control are no longer trade-offs \u2014 firms must deliver both.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>6. Smarter Outsourcing and Partner Ecosystems<\/h2>\n<p>Outsourcing is no longer just about cost reduction.<\/p>\n<p>In 2026, COOs are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Re-evaluating which activities are truly differentiating<\/li>\n<li>Leveraging strategic partners for scale, resilience, and innovation<\/li>\n<li>Holding providers accountable through performance-driven SLAs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The most successful models treat third parties as\u00a0<strong>extensions of the operating model<\/strong>, not black boxes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>7. Compliance Embedded into Operations<\/h2>\n<p>Regulatory requirements continue to expand \u2014 but manual compliance is no longer sustainable.<\/p>\n<p>Leading firms are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Embedding controls directly into workflows<\/li>\n<li>Automating surveillance, reporting, and policy enforcement<\/li>\n<li>Reducing reliance on post-event reviews<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For COOs, this reduces operational risk while lowering the cost of compliance.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>8. The Operations Talent Reset<\/h2>\n<p>Automation is fundamentally reshaping operations roles.<\/p>\n<p>In 2026:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Transaction-heavy roles continue to decline<\/li>\n<li>Demand rises for staff with process, data, and technology fluency<\/li>\n<li>Operations teams become problem-solvers and change agents<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>COOs are focusing on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reskilling and redeploying talent<\/li>\n<li>Creating clearer career paths within operations<\/li>\n<li>Retaining institutional knowledge while modernising skills<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>People remain critical \u2014 but the skills mix is changing fast.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>9. Operational Resilience and Cyber Readiness<\/h2>\n<p>Operational resilience has moved from a regulatory checkbox to a board-level concern.<\/p>\n<p>Key focus areas include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cyber incident response embedded into operating procedures<\/li>\n<li>Clear ownership of critical services and dependencies<\/li>\n<li>Tested recovery and failover capabilities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In 2026, resilience is measured by\u00a0<strong>how quickly operations can recover<\/strong>, not just whether plans exist.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>The COO as Architect of the Future State<\/h2>\n<p>The defining challenge for COOs in 2026 is not technology adoption \u2014 it is\u00a0<strong>operating model leadership<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Success will depend on the ability to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Simplify complexity<\/li>\n<li>Embed intelligence into workflows<\/li>\n<li>Align people, process, and technology around clear outcomes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Asset management operations are no longer a cost centre to be optimised, but a strategic capability that enables growth, protects the firm, and differentiates the client experience. While the pace of change is rapid, the opportunity ahead is significant. With the right operating model, data foundation, and execution focus, firms can turn operational transformation into lasting advantage and Davies is well positioned to partner with you on that journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Asset management operations are no longer a cost centre to be optimised, but a strategic capability that enables growth, protects the firm, and differentiates the client experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":29437,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"practices":[],"industries":[103],"capabilities":[104],"class_list":["post-29435","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Key Trends COOs Must Prepare for in 2026 - Davies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As asset managers move into 2026, the role of the COO and operations leadership has never been more pivotal.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/davies-group.com\/consulting\/blog\/key-trends-coos-must-prepare-for-in-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Key Trends COOs Must Prepare for in 2026 - 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