Global investment management survey identifies regulatory and compliance issues as top industry challenge

The inaugural Global Investment Management Survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC identified 10 key issues faced by industry leaders. 1) Customers come first, but demands can sap profits. 2) A good reputation is more valuable than money. 3) Rebuilding customer trust is difficult in a culture of suspicion. 4) Retaining talent will be more difficult than ever as the investment markets rebound. 5) Scale is necessary for global players, but difficult to achieve outside the United States because of friction in the markets. 6) Traditional employee benefit consultants need to understand investor risk appetites and guard against distancing investment managers from end users. 7.) Growth needs to be built on margin ‐ concentrating on products where substantial scale can be added without substantial cost. 8) Consolidation across investment products, service providers, and manufacturers is expected but is hampered by cross‐border regulatory and tax barriers. 9) Distributors have increased influence and negotiating power over investment managers. 10) Head offices must balance protecting their brands with delegating to those with local knowledge.