The service will provide year-round industry research and subject matter expertise to the asset management sector. It will address key business issues including client and product management, intelligent automation, cloud, big data, cyber security and analytics for portfolio management, distribution and operations. Investit chief executive Catherine Doherty and her team of industry specialists have joined Accenture’s asset management practice to form the new service.

“The top 35 investment management firms in the UK alone spend about five billion dollars annually on technology and operations, but in the new wave of digital innovation many will need to rethink their strategies,” said Owen Jelf, senior managing director and head of Accenture’s global capital markets practice. “Under heavy regulatory and market pressures, the health and performance of business processes and technology will be a growing factor in the competitive landscape. By bringing leading benchmarking experts and capabilities to Accenture’s capital markets practice, we can help our clients compete in a fast evolving sector.”

“Our team has worked with many of the world’s largest investment firms, providing insights to help them make key business decisions,” said Doherty, who will be head of the service. “As part of Accenture we can scale up to provide world leading insights for asset managers across Europe, North America and Asia.”

This launch marks Accenture’s most recent initiative to expand its asset management consulting and technology capabilities to help global investment managers, institutional investors and asset servicers use emerging digital innovations and technology to improve competitiveness and profitability. Earlier this year, Accenture completed its acquisition of InvestTech Systems Consulting, a North American technology consultancy, and in 2015 Accenture acquired Beacon Consulting Group a management consulting firm whose clients include five of the top 10 North American investment management firms.