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With the financial services industry contracting and tighter regulation here to stay, independent research providers need to demonstrate value creation and shift from being "nice to have" to "need to have".
A new report published today by the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation (CSFI) - Independent Research: because they're worth it? – found that independents have established themselves as a key part of the UK research landscape; 47 per cent of the institutions taking part currently pay for independent research and the majority of those expect at least to maintain their expenditure in 2012-13. But in a fiercely competitive environment, where fund managers are striving to minimise costs, independents must adapt.
A key development is that the market is increasingly measuring outcomes, which means the traditional qualitative assessment of research is being supplemented by quantitative measures – answering the question 'did that idea pay off?'
The CSFI report is the follow up to 2011's Has independent research come of age? Earlier this month, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) reacted to the first report by suggesting that corporate access be scrapped as an activity covered by dealing commissions, a development which could substantially level the playing field for independent providers.
To purchase a copy of the report online, please click here
