DST Global Solutions announced last month that it is investing more R&D into solutions such as Askari, its risk management offering. This is the next stage following the company's re-launch and its new management structure. The centre of excellence will be run by Jill Douglas, Global Head of Risk, who will lead the team at a crucial time in risk management.

Transparency and risk management are now among the top five fund manager selection criteria, according to Deutsche Bank's 7th Annual Alternative Investment Survey. Furthermore, an August 2008 report from the Counterparty Risk Management Policy Group (CRMPG III) noted that the magnitude of losses seen at many firms indicated that their stress testing methodologies needed refinement, were not consistently applied, were too rigidly defined, or were inadequately developed. The team at DST Global Solutions believes that now is the time risk managers must act.

Jill Douglas, Global Head of Risk, DST Global Solutions predicts, "Institutions that do not undergo a cultural shift in their approach to risk management could suffer further losses and damage to their reputation. Senior management and third parties, such as investors, now require evaluation of business risks, asset allocation and broader stress testing, not only to quantify the impact of exceptional events, but also to uncover the firm's or portfolio's vulnerabilities. To help meet this need, we are establishing a centre of excellence for risk management. The aim is to provide thought leadership in these areas. Our dedication to the Askari solution demonstrates DST Global Solutions' commitment to giving our clients a strategic advantage."

As the role of the risk manager is changing, DST Global Solutions' Askari solution provides the tools for the creative mind. Advanced stress testing provides the flexibility to re-create any historical event, as well as forward-looking scenarios and market moves. The full-revaluation methodology is ideal to produce accurate loss estimates under extreme variation of financial variables. The approach is transparent and captures fat-tails as well as unstable correlations. It includes integrated market and credit risk management functionality to evaluate as well as manage the impact of issuer and counterparty defaults.  The instrument coverage is extensive including credit derivatives and illiquid assets.