This month marks the one-year anniversary of a worldwide move to working from home as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. For this issue, we asked people to highlight the critical factors of the past 12 months and the priorities for the year ahead.
It is laudable that the funds industry managed to continue operating relatively seamlessly amid the pandemic and all of its disruption. It is testament to its resilience and its innovation. But now the industry faces a sterner test.
The last year was about a temporary plan, albeit one much longer than anticipated. But now it is about creating an operational framework that will endure much into the future. As Markus Ruetimann suggests (pages 12-13), there is an opportunity for the industry to rejuvenate itself.
Balance may well be the key and this is evident throughout this issue – from allowing portfolio managers to develop their own IT but making sure they follow the rules, to gaining some exposure to cryptocurrencies but without investing the company’s reserves in bitcoin. And, most importantly, firms must create a balanced work environment that allows for both home and office working.
Nicholas Pratt, Technology & Operations Editor
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