Technology powers human advice at Julius Baer

How is Julius Baer approaching this topic? Which exciting projects are currently underway? And how is technology helping our current operations?

Craig Allen, Head of Investment Management, Julius Baer in Guernsey  

From paper to online – creating the digital experience of the future

A number of teams within Julius Baer, including our Guernsey office, are working on creating the digital client experience of the future. From e-Banking to e-Trading – online is the name of the game. But not only are e-signatures and video identification convenient, they also offer a greener alternative to printing and scanning documents.

But the principal purpose of existing and future technology is the ease of use – enjoying the ability to access information and data from anywhere in the world. The Julius Baer Investment Insights App enables clients and intermediaries to access Julius Baer research and investment publications on the go. After completing a one-time-onboarding process to ensure data security and compliance with regulatory guidelines, clients can also chat with their relationship managers via Whatsapp.

Flexible working was already a trend, even in the traditional banking sector, and the pandemic taught us that being contactable and able to work from anywhere is critical to our sector. Working from home is an easy example that comes to mind, but this was still the case pre-covid. No longer are you packing the kitchen sink when leaving Guernsey; instead you’re packing your desk in your phone.

Collaborating through the cloud

Agility and DevOps (a set of practices that combines software development ‘Dev’ and IT operations ‘Ops’) have become increasingly important in today’s world. Both work methodologies minimise the time-to-market for digital innovations, challenging the best software engineers to come up with solutions centred around speed and client focus.

Since good software engineers require a state-of-the-art workplace and a flexible working model, Julius Baer has built its development cloud framework on Microsoft’s Azure Cloud. Think of it this way: it’s a highly secure, specialised environment to exchange assets needed by IT developers. Data security is constantly being screened and monitored. The initial pilot project supported a team of 40 developers, whereas today more than 900 users from across Julius Baer and 30 vendors collaborate in 60 projects. The number is growing continuously.

For our team, collaborating through the cloud is essential to our way of working. We want our team to be able to work where they feel most productive and in the most effective way for our clients.

A ‘One-Stop-Shop’ for external asset managers

External asset managers operate in a highly regulated and fast-paced environment. Our Digital Intermediaries platform was designed to bring simplicity. It comprises a portfolio management tool, near real-time reporting, a direct link for order processing and a gateway to all services for Intermediaries. Its latest version is currently being rolled out in Asia.

Being part of a global group allows us to benefit from our offices in other jurisdictions. We have the ability to draw on experts from around the globe who are also trying to find digital solutions to make our work more efficient and effective.

The road ahead

Compared to 2019, investments in technology to power human advice are being increased by approximately 20%. The focus lies on further enhancing data and analytics as well as continuing to work on digital, product, front and agile transformation projects. Our tech-powered Private Banking team are here to support your investment priorities and deliver returns, even during this difficult time. You can contact Craig Allen for more information at +44 (0) 1481 746461 or craig.allen@juliusbaer.com.

Sponsored content