Gulfmena, an asset manager specialising in the Middle East and North Africa, has selected SunGard's Asset Arena Portfolio Management solution to help automate its front- to-back-office operations.
Asset Arena Portfolio Management is a global, real-time, browser-based solution that provides investment management firms with integrated trading, accounting, performance measurement, reconciliation and reporting.
SunGard's Asset Arena Portfolio Management solution will help Gulfmena automate its asset management processes across the region. It will also help meet Gulfmena's portfolio management and operations requirements by providing front- and middle-office functionality such as robust portfolio modeling features, advanced rebalancing capabilities and "what-if" analysis. Finally, Asset Arena will provide Gulfmena with performance measurement and attribution tools that adhere to the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS), a compliance module, and risk analytics, while helping the firm manage its operations and IT costs.
Haissam Arabi, Gulfmena chief executive officer and founder, commented, "In today's changing asset management and hedge fund landscape, fund managers need to increase their focus on transparency, governance, compliance and regulations. Technology can help address these needs as well as aid in the management of portfolio risk. SunGard's Asset Arena Portfolio Management solution will help us meet increasing client demands and address our stringent risk management criteria. We believe the solution will also help us achieve our mission of becoming the region's premier asset management company and specialist hedge fund manager."
Wissam Khoury, managing director for SunGard's financial systems business in the Middle East, said, "The growing requirements of asset managers in the Middle East necessitate automated solutions that help increase transparency, risk controls and service quality. SunGard's Asset Arena will help Gulfmena automate its investment operations lifecycle, achieve operational efficiencies and reduce risk and cost. This relationship demonstrates SunGard's commitment and dedication to providiiding locally-proven solutions for the requirements of the Middle East's finance industry."