IMAS, in collaboration with Standard Chartered, hosted Digital Assets, AI and Tokenisation – Navigating the Future of Asset Management, bringing together industry practitioners to examine how emerging technologies are reshaping operating models across the investment management value chain.

Key topics discussed

• AI in middle- and back-office operations: Applications included management reporting, AML/KYC screening, intelligent document processing, instruction capture, exception management, settlement processing and liquidity forecasting.
• Moving from experimentation to measurable value: While firms are investing heavily in data platforms and AI tools, many pilots have struggled to scale due to weak use cases, limited integration and unclear returns on investment.
• The foundations required for AI adoption: Reliable data alone is insufficient. Firms also need integrated systems, service and orchestration layers, appropriate governance, and AI embedded within end-to-end business processes.
• Human and AI collaboration: Future operating models are expected to combine human oversight with AI operator and task agents, allowing professionals to focus on judgement, client outcomes and complex exceptions.
• AI risk and governance: The discussion covered model deterioration, hallucination, explainability and accountability, as well as the importance of continuous monitoring, reinforcement learning and proportionate controls.
• Growth of tokenised assets: Panellists explored the increasing adoption of tokenised money market funds, private-market assets and other real-world assets, alongside the potential role of tokenised ETFs.
• Stablecoins and tokenised funds: Stablecoins could provide faster settlement for tokenised products, but wider adoption will depend on integrated custody, administration, cash and distribution infrastructure.
• Future of fund distribution: The panel considered a longer-term shift from segregated financial accounts towards interoperable digital wallets capable of holding and transferring multiple asset types.
• Role of traditional intermediaries: Banks, administrators and other established institutions will remain important in connecting traditional and digital systems, providing liquidity, trust and regulatory assurance.