eClerx was pleased to take part in this year’s InvestOps Connect USA event in New Orleans. The event brought together operations leaders from the buy side to examine how investment operations teams are adapting to today’s complex market conditions.

Over the course of two days, attendees explored practical ways to strengthen workflows, enhance data quality, and improve operational efficiency while maintaining the necessary control and oversight in an evolving investment landscape. Many expressed enthusiasm for AI’s potential, yet acknowledged that turning that potential into day-to-day operational value remains a challenge without the right data foundation, workflows, and partners.

This leads to our major takeaway: specialized operating partners and technology are emerging as the key drivers of efficiency. Leaders noted that the combination of domain expertise, automated workflows, and purpose-built platforms is helping firms resolve bottlenecks more quickly, improve data quality, and support operational teams under increasing pressure.

Below, we examine how these enablers are helping firms to achieve tangible efficiency gains.

●   Solving day-to-day operational pain points and reducing workflow friction

With faster settlement cycles, rising transparency expectations, and increasing investor scrutiny, leaders emphasized that practical, scalable fixes are only possible when supported by specialized partners and technology-driven workflows. These external enablers help streamline work, reduce exceptions, and drive smoother coordination across the trade lifecycle. Many also noted that efficiency gains increasingly come from shifting upstream—into compliance, KYC, and onboarding—supported by partners and platforms that reduce downstream disruptions.

●   Improving data discipline through structured workflows to elevate accuracy and decision-making

Data discipline emerged as a non-negotiable priority, and firms acknowledged that even the most promising AI solutions struggle to deliver meaningful value without a solid foundation. Partners and purpose-built platforms are helping firms establish cleaner, more reliable data flows that support accuracy across the investment lifecycle. With real-time data, firms can accelerate reconciliation, enhance reporting quality, and enable confident decision-making. Discussions also touched on the role of structured, repeatable, technology-backed workflows in reducing downstream errors and enabling firms to meet rising transparency and cycle-time expectations.

●   Leveraging AI- and automation-powered solutions to boost efficiency and minimize operational risk

Technology was positioned as an immediate accelerator of operational excellence—especially when deployed in partnership with experts who understand the nuances of the trade lifecycle. Firms don’t necessarily lack AI tools, but rather the clarity, guardrails, and integration support needed to deploy those tools confidently. Diving into practical use cases, leaders shared how automation, real-time monitoring, and workflow tools are reducing exposure, enforcing consistency, and simplifying execution as firms contend with greater volumes and faster settlement expectations. These solutions also help integrate upstream compliance and KYC checks into broader workflows, reducing friction while strengthening controls, oversight, and auditability.

●   Building integrated, scalable operating models through the right combination of platforms and specialized expertise

A consistent theme was the push toward operating models that can flex and scale with business growth. Firms emphasized the need for unified processes, tighter data connectivity, and stronger alignment across operations, technology, and the front office. Increasingly, partnerships—not just internal initiatives—are becoming a competitive differentiator. By combining talent, technology, and process expertise, specialized operating partners are helping firms reduce complexity, improve adaptability, and build resilient models that support long-term growth and the ability to experiment and scale with AI solutions.