Why fund data needs to move faster than ever

The shifting market pressures reshaping dissemination expectations

For years, fund data moved through the business at a steady, predictable pace. Monthly reporting cycles, manual checks and spreadsheet-based workflows were the norm. But today, everything about that model has changed.

As Kirsty Joss, Head of Distribution Support & Feeds at FE fundinfo, puts it, “the asset management landscape is evolving.” As a result, the pressure placed on operational teams has never been greater.

Regulation is accelerating

Regulatory change is no longer episodic, it’s continual. Standards such as SFDR, MiFID and ESG templates are updated with increasing regularity, and each update creates operational friction that asset managers can feel.

Every time a regulator issues a revised disclosure template, asset managers must:

identify every fund share class impacted
update data points across multiple internal systems
regenerate new reports and templates
validate the new versions against regulatory rules
withdraw superseded documents from every distributor
re-upload corrected versions within tight deadlines

In practice, the same workflow must often be repeated dozens or even hundreds of times across different funds and channels. As David Banahan, Dissemination Product Manager at FE fundinfo, notes, “the regulatory landscape is constantly shifting,” which makes manual tracking and version control extremely difficult.

Even minor changes create ripple effects. A tweak to an SFDR data point or a new MiFID cost disclosure rule can trigger rework across compliance, product, operations, marketing and distribution teams. Firms relying on spreadsheets or manual workflows may quickly find themselves overwhelmed.

Investors expect near-real-time information

Investor expectations have changed just as dramatically. David points out that in many firms “it can take up to six weeks for data to flow through internal systems and reach the market.” That lag might have been acceptable a decade ago, but today it risks reputational harm and missed investment flows.

Consider a scenario where, a fund changes its risk profile on the first of the month. Internal systems update the data in week two. In week three, the fact sheet refreshes. I’'s already four weeks later when distributors receive updated materials.

By the time the change reaches the market, it may already be outdated. Meanwhile, competitors with faster dissemination workflows appear more transparent and responsive to investors.

Distributors now embed automated data feeds directly into their platforms. If they cannot rely on a firm’s data to be both accurate and timely, they are less likely to give that firm prominent shelf space. As a result, operational delay becomes commercial disadvantage.

Operational agility has become essential

Every asset manager now works across more channels, more data formats and more templates than ever before. A single change to a fund may need to be communicated to global data vendors, national platforms, wealth managers, advisers and regulatory repositories.

Each recipient may require a different document format, timing or level of granularity. Both speed and accuracy of data dissemination have become critical differentiators.

The sheer complexity means firms can no longer rely on siloed processes or staff knowledge to maintain consistency. Any break in the chain results in an inconsistent market footprint.

Why this matters now

Together, these pressures reveal a clear signal that dissemination must adapt. Manual processes and scattered workflows cannot meet today’s expectations for timeliness, transparency and control. Without the right infrastructure, operational teams spend more time chasing errors than adding value.

To understand how leading firms are responding and what “good” dissemination now looks like, we’ve published a new guide exploring the forces shaping the market, the characteristics of strong dissemination and the role of automation in restoring both confidence and scalability.

Accelerating Fund Data Dissemination In A Changing Market Blog Teaser (1)

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Accelerating fund data dissemination in a changing market