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Decision Management & Elections

Supports collection, validation, and processing of instructions and elections from stakeholders.

Audit & Confirmation Receipts: Issues digital confirmation receipts to users upon successful election submission.
Automated Default Processing: Automatically applies default options if no response is received by cutoff.
Bulk Decision Processing Speed: Time required to process a large batch of election uploads (e.g., 1,000 elections).
Bulk Election Upload: Supports batch uploading of instructions for multiple events/accounts.
Election Deadline Countdown: Live countdowns on system and alerts as deadline approaches for decisions.
Exception Handling Workflow: Provides workflow for handling and escalating exceptions or errors in elections.
Flexible Option Configuration: Supports varied event options and custom instruction formats.
Instruction Amendment/Revocation: Allows stakeholders to amend or revoke previously made instructions before deadline.
Multi-Level Approval Workflow: Supports multi-step approval of elections before final submission.
Online Election Capture: Web-based or portal interface for stakeholders to submit responses/elections.
Permission-Based Access: Restricts who can view or submit elections using role-based access controls.
Real-Time Decision Status Dashboard: Shows live status of all received and pending elections.
Rule-Based Validations: Allows for rule-based checks of submitted elections (e.g., eligibility, max/min choices).
Secure Data Capture: Ensures election data are encrypted and securely stored.
Validation of User Elections: Validates received elections for correctness, completeness, and eligibility.

Event Entitlement Calculation

Automatically calculates the entitlements and positions for clients and investors affected by corporate actions.

Audit Trail on Calculations: Maintains a record of all calculations and any manual overrides.
Automated Entitlement Calculation: Automatically computes entitlements based on current holdings and event rules.
Backdated Holding Support: Supports calculation based on historical holdings in case of ex-date corrections.
Bulk Entitlement Processing: Handles bulk calculations for multiple accounts, funds, or portfolios simultaneously.
Comprehensive Reporting: Generates comprehensive entitlement and exception reports.
Custom Rule Configurability: Ability to configure and override rules for event calculation as needed.
Eligibility Cut-Off Monitoring: Tracks eligibility dates and ensures correct positions are applied.
Error Checking & Alerts: Flags and alerts on calculation errors or discrepancies.
Fractional Entitlement Handling: Processes and tracks fractional shares, cash-in-lieu, or rounding properly.
Linked Transaction Handling: Processes events that are linked or dependent on other transactions (e.g., conditional offers).
Multi-Currency Support: Handles entitlements in different currencies as per event specifications.
Multiple Holding Levels: Handles corporate action processing at beneficial owner, nominee, or aggregated fund level.
Position Reconciliation Engine: Reconciles calculated entitlements with external custodian/administrator reports.
Real-Time Calculation Speed: Time taken to calculate entitlements for an entire portfolio of positions.
Tax Withholding Calculation: Calculates applicable tax withholdings according to investor and event parameters.

Event Identification & Capture

Capabilities to identify, import, and record corporate action events from various sources including custodians, exchanges, and data vendors.

Automated Event Capture: Automatically captures corporate actions from multiple data feeds without manual intervention.
Bulk Event Upload: Allows bulk/event file uploads and batch processing.
Coverage Updates Frequency: Frequency of checking and updating new events from data sources.
Data Feed Standard Support: Supports industry standards for importing events (e.g., ISO 15022/20022, SWIFT).
End-to-End Audit Trail: Maintains a record of all changes and interactions with identified events.
Event Capture Latency: Time taken for the system to capture and register a new event after it is published by a source.
Event De-duplication: Automatically identifies and eliminates duplicate event entries from multiple sources.
Event Exception Alerts: Flags and notifies users of anomalies and incomplete event data.
Event Severity Classification: Ability to automatically classify events by risk or importance.
Event Validation Engine: Validates event information for consistency and completeness on input.
Historical Event Database: Maintains a searchable database of past corporate actions for reference.
Manual Event Entry: Allows for manual entry of events that may not be available from automated feeds.
Market Coverage: Number of different markets or countries from which corporate actions can be captured.
Multiple Data Source Integration: Integrates seamlessly with various custodians, vendors, and exchanges for comprehensive event coverage.
Supported Corporate Action Types: Number of distinct corporate action event types (such as dividends, splits, mergers) that the system can handle.

Event Notification & Communication

Tools to notify stakeholders about relevant corporate actions, distribute election options, and track acknowledgements.

Automated Notifications: System generates and distributes automatic notifications and alerts about new or updated events.
Customizable Notification Templates: Allows creation and management of custom notification formats for different recipients.
Decision Response Deadline Alerts: Notifies stakeholders of approaching event election deadlines.
Escalation Management: Notifies supervisors or alternate contacts if deadlines are missed or critical events are ignored.
Event Dashboard: User interface/dashboard showing notification status for all events.
Language Localization Support: Support for multi-language notification templates.
Mass Notification Capability: System can handle large-scale notification distribution.
Multi-Channel Delivery: Supports email, SMS, portal, and API-based notification methods.
Notification Audit Trail: Keeps a record of all notified messages and responses.
Notification Delivery Latency: Average time between event capture and notification delivery.
Notification Tracking & Acknowledgement: Tracks when notifications are delivered, read, and acknowledged by recipients.
Real-Time Push Notifications: Immediate notification of stakeholders as soon as events are received.
Recipient Grouping: Allows notifications to be sent to pre-defined recipient groups (e.g., portfolio managers, operations, clients).
Secure Messaging: Notifications use secure and/or encrypted channels.
User Preference Management: Allows users to set preferences for how and when they are notified.

Exception Management & Controls

Mechanisms to detect, monitor, resolve, and report issues, exceptions, or breaks at any processing stage.

Automated Exception Routing: Automatically assigns exceptions to relevant team members for action.
Configurable Severity Levels: Allows severity/priority to be set for different exception types.
Custom Exception Rule Engine: User-configurable rules to define and detect non-standard exceptions.
Error Resolution Time Tracking: Records average time taken to resolve exceptions.
Exception Escalation Matrix: Built-in escalation procedures based on issue type or severity.
Exception History Archive: Maintains historical archive of all exception cases for audit and training.
Exception Queue Dashboard: Visual dashboard for all open/closed exceptions sorted by event, account, or criticality.
Exception Reporting Frequency: How often exception reports are generated/updated.
Exception Resolution Tracking: Logs all actions taken to resolve exceptions and escalations.
Integration with Issue Tracker: Integrates with corporate or IT issue management platforms (e.g., Jira, ServiceNow).
Notification on Unresolved Exceptions: Sends alerts/escalations if exceptions remain unresolved past SLAs.
Real-Time Exception Detection: Monitors workflow and flags exceptions instantly for resolution.
Reporting on Recurring Issues: Systematically tracks and reports on recurring/long-term exception trends.
Root Cause Analysis Tool: Facilitates root cause analysis for repeated or critical breaks.
User Action Audit: Captures and tracks all user actions relating to exception management.

Integration & Interoperability

Extent and ease with which the system connects to other platforms, data feeds, and workflows.

API Availability: Offers robust REST/SOAP APIs for data import, export, and integration with third-party systems.
Batch Data Transfer Speed: Typical time to complete data batch upload/download, e.g., for 100MB.
Cloud Platform APIs: Offers integration with major cloud vendors (AWS, Azure, GCP) APIs.
Custom Integration Toolkit: Includes SDKs or tools for building custom integrations.
Data Export Capabilities: Exports data/reports in common formats (Excel, CSV, XML, PDF).
Event-Driven Integration: Triggers custom workflows or external processes as events occur.
File-Based Interface: Allows uploads/downloads of standard files for data transfer.
Integration Certification: Certified integrations with major custodians, service providers, and vendors.
Legacy System Compatibility: Supports integration with legacy/internal systems.
Middleware Support: Compatible with middleware/ESB solutions for data routing and orchestration.
Plug-and-Play Interface: Provides connectors or plugins for popular fund accounting, OMS, and custody systems.
Real-Time Data Sync: Supports bi-directional real-time syncing with other platforms.
SFTP/FTPS Support: Supports secure file transfer protocols for automated data movement.
Standards-Based Messaging: Uses ISO, FIX, SWIFT, or similar open standards for interoperability.
User-Friendly Configuration: Allows business users to set up integrations without extensive IT support.

Processing & Settlement

Handles downstream processing of choices, asset movements, posting to accounting/trading systems, and settlement events.

Automated Processing to Custodians: Sends instructions and settlements automatically to custodians, transfer agents, or market.
Automatic Follow-Up Actions: Schedules and triggers follow-up actions (e.g., cash proceeds, tax forms) on completion.
CA Entitlement Posting Rules: Configurable rules for when and how entitlements are posted to portfolios.
Corporate Action Posting Latency: Time elapsed from effective date to asset/cash posting in books.
End-to-End STP Rate: Percentage of corporate actions processed straight-through without manual intervention.
Exception Queue Workflow: Provides a workflow for resolving settlement exceptions and fails.
Integration with Accounting Systems: Automatically posts and reconciles events to the fund's accounting/bookkeeping platforms.
Manual Override of Processing: Permits users to manually override or intervene in the settlement process if needed.
Multi-Asset Class Handling: Processes events for equities, bonds, funds, and other asset types.
Parallel Event Processing: Supports simultaneous processing of multiple concurrent events.
Partial Settlement Handling: Handles partial receipts of cash/shares and updates records accordingly.
Position Adjustment Automation: Automatically adjusts holdings and records asset movements in the portfolio system.
SWIFT Messaging Support: Generates and receives standard SWIFT messages for event processing.
Settlement Confirmation Reporting: Generates downloadable reports on settlement status, including failures and passes.
Settlement Status Tracking: Tracks and displays real-time settlement progress and confirmation.

Reporting & Analytics

Suite of reports and analytics for events, exceptions, processing, audit, and compliance.

Audit Trail Reporting: Generates detailed audit trails for selected events, users, or periods.
Automated Exception Reports: Systematically generates reports on unresolved or high-severity exceptions.
Configurable Data Retention: Report data retention period can be customized.
Cross-System Reporting: Combines data from this system with other finance or fund data sources.
Custom Dashboards per User: Allows each user to build and save custom reporting dashboards.
Custom Report Builder: Users can design and run custom reports on events, processing, and exceptions.
Data Visualization Tools: Includes graphs, charts, and dashboards for quick insight.
Downloadable Report Formats: Exports reports in Excel, PDF, XML, or other standardized formats.
Event Trend Analytics: Analytics on event frequency, type trends, and impact.
Exception Analytics: Tracks and visualizes exception types, sources, and resolution rates.
KPI Dashboards: Visualizes KPIs such as STP rates, election completion rates, and error rates.
Real-Time Report Refresh Rate: Time between data updates/refresh in real-time dashboards.
Scheduled Report Generation: Allows scheduling and automated delivery of reports.
Standard Report Library: Pre-built reports covering all main workflows/events.
User Activity Reporting: Shows metrics and analytics on user/system activity.

Scalability & Performance

System capabilities to handle increasing transactions, users, and data volumes without degradation.

Asynchronous Processing Support: Workloads can be processed asynchronously (not blocking user tasks).
Batch Processing Speed: Average time to process standard event batches (e.g., 1,000 events).
Concurrent User Capacity: Maximum number of users supported simultaneously with no performance drop.
Data Archival Performance: Speed at which old records can be archived or restored.
Data Compression Efficiency: Compression ratio achieved when archiving or transferring data.
Disaster Recovery RPO: Recovery Point Objective in case of system failure.
Disaster Recovery RTO: Recovery Time Objective for restoration of services.
Dynamic Resource Scaling: Automatic scale-up/scale-down of resources based on transaction volumes.
Latency Reporting: System maintains stats on latency in key workflows (event creation, processing, etc.).
Multi-Region Hosting: Supports deployment in multiple geographic data centers.
Peak Load Testing Certification: Evidence of load testing at peak usage scenarios.
Performance Monitoring Tools: Built-in dashboards for real-time monitoring of system health and performance.
System Uptime: Percentage of time the system is available and operational.
Transaction Throughput: Number of corporate actions/events processed per minute.
Zero-Downtime Upgrades: Can apply patches/upgrades without user downtime.

Security & Compliance

Measures and tools to ensure data security, regulatory compliance, and audit readiness.

Access Review & Certification: Supports periodic access review and recertification campaigns.
Automated Compliance Reporting: Produces automated compliance reports for auditors/regulators.
Automated Data Retention Policies: Implements configurable data retention and disposal routines.
Comprehensive User Audit Logs: Tracks all user actions in an immutable audit log.
Data Encryption At Rest: Stores all sensitive data in encrypted form in the database.
Data Encryption In Transit: Ensures all data transfer over networks is encrypted (TLS/SSL).
Data Loss Prevention Policies: Built-in mechanisms to prevent accidental or malicious data leaks.
Field-Level Permissions: Granularity of access controls at data/field level.
Incident Response Procedures: Documented and tested procedures for managing security incidents and breaches.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Supports MFA for all user logins.
Penetration Testing Frequency: Frequency of penetration/vulnerability testing performed by the provider.
Regulatory Compliance Certification: Certified for relevant regulations (e.g., SOC2, GDPR, CASS, SEC).
Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC): Restricts access based on user role and need-to-know basis.
Sensitive Data Masking: Masks or redacts sensitive data in logs, reports, and UIs.
Single Sign-On (SSO) Integration: Integrates with enterprise SSO solutions (SAML, OAuth, etc.).

User Interface & Usability

The quality, intuitiveness, and customization of the user interface and user experience.

Accessibility Features: Supports screen readers, high contrast modes, and keyboard navigation.
Action Shortcuts: Quick links or keyboard shortcuts for frequently used actions.
Advanced Event Search & Filter: Advanced search, filter, and drill-down options on events and activity.
Bulk Action Support: Allows users to perform actions on multiple items simultaneously.
Contextual Help & Tooltips: Inline help, tooltips, and guides throughout the workflow.
Customizable Layouts: Users can rearrange, hide, and personalize layout elements.
Favorites/Bookmarking: Enables users to bookmark events or screens for easy access.
Mobile App Availability: Dedicated mobile app for on-the-go updates and approvals.
Multi-Language UI: Interface available in multiple languages.
Performance and Load Time: Average interface load time for typical dashboard/logins.
Responsive Design: Works well on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
Role-Based Dashboards: Provides tailored dashboards for different user roles (ops, PMs, clients, risk).
Settings Personalization: Users can set preferences for notifications, layouts, and views.
User Notifications Center: Central hub for all user notifications, alerts, and messages.
Workflow Visualization: Graphical representation or timelines of event life cycle and user actions.

Vendor Support & Service Levels

The quality, reliability, and scope of support and professional services provided by the vendor.

24x7 Customer Support Availability: Customer support is available 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Annual Client Satisfaction Survey: Regular feedback and satisfaction surveys of client base.
Change Request Turnaround Time: Typical SLA for implementing small client change requests.
Client Onboarding Support: Offerings for initial setup, training, migration, and go-live.
Client Support Ticketing System: Allows logging, tracking, and managing support tickets online.
Custom Development Services: Availability of custom enhancement/build services from vendor.
Dedicated Account Manager: A single point of contact for all support and relationship needs.
Disaster Recovery Assistance: Hands-on vendor support in DR/BCP scenarios.
Multi-Timezone Support: Support teams cover multiple time zones for global operations.
Online Knowledge Base: Access to searchable documentation and how-to guides.
Regular Product Updates: Frequency of system updates and feature releases.
Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Clearly defined system and support uptime, resolution, and escalation timelines.
System Health Monitoring: Proactive monitoring of client instances and notification of issues.
Training & Certification Programs: Availability of formal training, documentation, and certification for users.
User Community/Forum: Active user community or forum for sharing knowledge and tips.

Corporate Actions Processing Systems features explained

for Fund Operations