Approximately 75%
of previously manual entries subsequently uploaded automatically
Automating securities-position uploads
An earlier career example of process improvement in financial services: moving recurring data entry into an automated upload workflow so the team could focus on discrepancies.
This anonymised account draws on written professional references and first-hand accounts from Tamás’s earlier career. The organisation and reference providers are not identified.
The challenge: manual collection and entry
A five-person department handled roughly 7,000 securities positions each month. Obtaining balances from fund managers and other external sources required manual outreach and data entry, which occupied one to two weeks each month. This reduced the time available to investigate differences arising from outstanding corporate actions and other transactions, and to apply the necessary updates in the system.
Tamás’s contribution: initiating the change
Tamás initiated IT involvement to develop an FTP-based upload and automatic reconciliation process. The solution received structured data from external providers and matched it against the custodian’s recorded holdings using agreed identifiers.
The outcome: more capacity for investigation
Approximately 75% of the previously manual position entries were subsequently uploaded automatically. This freed capacity for the team to investigate the remaining discrepancies.
How the process connected the data
What the result measures
The approximately 75% figure describes the share of previously manual position entries subsequently uploaded automatically. It is not a claim of a 75% reduction in costs or total working time. The process still required investigation of discrepancies.
Facing a similar process problem?
If recurring data entry or disconnected workflows are taking time away from higher-value work, start by clarifying the process and the requirements for change.