BST Awards 2018: Best Buy-Side Compliance Product—Indus Valley Partners

There is no shortage of regtech firms these days, so standing out in a highly competitive market is no easy task. However, in recent years, New York-based Indus Valley Partners (IVP) has generated significant momentum in the regulatory space, thanks to its IVP Raptor platform, designed to support hedge funds in managing their global reporting requirements. Thanks to the firm’s efforts to extend its regulatory coverage, this year it has scooped the title for the best buy-side compliance product at the Buy-Side Technology Awards, from previous winners Charles River Development and Linedata. 

Gurvinder Singh, CEO of Indus Valley Partners, explains that the platform was created using a holistic approach to global regulatory reform where the technology could be developed and adapted depending on the jurisdictional and reporting needs of each client. Each fund is required to input seven basic datasets once and using in-built rules, the platform can then automate answers for multiple filing questions.

“When we designed IVP Raptor, we designed it from the ground up,” says Singh. “We made it in such a way that firms load their data once, validate it, check it, and verify it, and then it automatically generates different filings from there.”

Using a red, amber, green (RAG) reporting management system, IVP Raptor supports multiple global filings, including Opera, Form PF, Form 13F, Schedule 13 D/G and CPO-PQR, and covers the reporting needs of regulations such as the European Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation, the European Short Selling Regulation, and TIC B requirements. The firm has also built in cross-filing analytics and additional checks into a single, consolidated platform to enable hedge funds to monitor their reporting activities and ensure they comply with the consistently evolving global regulatory landscape. To date, IVP Raptor has been implemented by 50 buy-side firms, with a combined total of $435 billion under management. 

In 2014, IVP launched its cloud-based managed service on AWS. The platform has configurable workflows for each user, supports all major browsers, includes email integration, and operates across multiple devices such as tablets and cell phones. Using artificial intelligence, the platform also generates smart analytics to monitor and detect issues relating to data integrity and compliance. Looking forward, IVP is working closely with clients to build out the platform’s functionality and broaden its global coverage of filings, including its latest solvency module. “As we bulk up the number of filings and the number of rules, the platform overall gets smarter and gives more value back to our clients,” says Singh.