Multi-asset investment management firm First Plus Asset Management (FPAM) has selected financial technology leader SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. to provide comprehensive cross-border operational support across Asia. Servicing approximately $200 million in assets under management (AUM), First Plus will leverage SS&C across the complete investment lifecycle-incorporating order management and execution, investment accounting, and transfer agency services. The multi-jurisdictional rollout covers key regional financial centers including Singapore, China, and Thailand, enabling First Plus to modernize front-to-back office workflows and ensure seamless cross-border regulatory compliance.
“As First Plus has expanded, managing our operations has become increasingly complex,” said Jeb Li, Co-Founder and CEO at First Plus. “SS&C’s global footprint and integrated offerings enable us to easily optimize our workflows, so we can focus on scaling quickly and securely while continuing to deliver risk-adjusted returns and best-in-class client service.”
“As asset management continues to globalize and offer new and complex fund vehicles, we are seeing an increased demand for cross-border operations and compliance support,” added Damien Barry, Head of Asia Pacific, Africa & Middle East for SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions. “We look forward to working with First Plus to streamline and integrate their workflows through our scalable global ecosystem, so the First Plus team can focus on growth and investor experiences.”
Technical Orchestration: A Streamlined Multi-Jurisdictional Investment Infrastructure
For decades, having a presence in multiple countries in different regulatory regimes has been a significant hindrance from an operational standpoint. Managers like First Plus with a multi-jurisdictional footprint, e.g. Capital Markets Services license of First Plus in Singapore, Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) status in China, and fund management licenses in Thailand, have to face different levels of technology integration with a different set of compliance issues for each of these territories, leading to very fragmented and inefficient processes, and That means not scalable.
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The deepening collaboration between First Plus and SS&C enables these challenges to be overcome through an integrated technology platform:
Integrated Order Management System and Portfolio Accounting: Front office teams have real-time access to portfolio positions, trade confirmations, and automated reconciliation for various asset categories.
International Transfer Agency and Shareholder Recordkeeping: Using transfer agent system of SS&C, standardized shareholder recordkeeping and investor servicing are made possible in several markets across Asia.
Cross-Border Regulatory Compliance: This is ensured via a combination of the regulatory and reporting features embedded in the system which, among others, allows the firm to automatically collect and disseminate information to multi-jurisdictional regulators including Monetary Authority of Singapore and China Securities Regulatory Commission and others so that all of their requirements can be fulfilled in one operation.
Strategic Impact on Revenue & Investment
For Chief Executive Officers, Chief Investment Officers, and fund managers operating across international growth markets, outsourcing middle- and back-office infrastructure to specialized tech ecosystems fundamentally reshapes Revenue and Investment dynamics across three core vectors:
1. Protecting Investment Yield by Lowering Operational Overhead
Maintaining in-house operational, accounting, and compliance teams in every operating jurisdiction drives up operating expenses and dilutes fund performance. Transitioning to a unified software-as-a-service and fund administration model lowers the operational cost-to-serve per fund. Lower operational overhead directly increases net investment returns for clients and expands operating profit margins for asset managers.
2. Accelerating Capital Deployment and Revenue Recognition
When asset managers expand into new jurisdictions, setting up local administrative infrastructure can delay fund launches by months, trapping capital in setup phases. Leveraging an established global technology footprint allows investment managers to launch complex cross-border funds, ingest investor capital, and deploy allocation strategies rapidly—accelerating time-to-revenue for management and performance fees.
3. Preserving Capital for Alpha Generation
In mid-market asset management, talent and capital are often diverted to solve operational and reporting bottlenecks. Automating trade processing, investor accounting, and cross-border regulatory reporting frees up portfolio managers and research teams to focus on fundamental analysis, quantitative strategies, and deal sourcing. This operational focus enhances risk-adjusted returns, attracting larger institutional capital allocations.
Holistic Business Changes to the companies in the Wealth & Asset Management industry
The collaboration of First Plus with SS&C indicates major changes happening throughout the world’s investment system:
Institutional-Grade Tech is a Must – Major investors often require that small and mid-sized fund management firms make use of well-known, third-party administrators before committing their money. This means that having a platform which meets high tech standards is not a matter of convenience, but a necessary requirement nowadays, if one wants to raise funds.
Integration of Financial Softwares – The different applications for trading, compliance, and fund accounting are becoming obsolete as they are replaced by all-in-one software systems that can run an investment business and manage data in a single setting.
Opening up of the Regional Markets – Thanks to modern technological tools, mid-level investment managers are able not only to reach international markets but also to take on big cap fund organizations. As a result, the barriers between market players are getting lower in regions where the markets are growing.
Conclusion
First Plus Asset Management’s operational expansion with SS&C illustrates the critical role that scalable financial technology plays in unlocking cross-border investment opportunities. By replacing fragmented operational setups with an integrated, end-to-end administration platform, First Plus eliminates back-office bottlenecks and strengthens cross-jurisdictional compliance across Asia. For the broader revenue and investment industry, this alliance demonstrates that long-term asset growth no longer depends solely on investment strategy, but on the agility and efficiency of underlying technology infrastructure. Ultimately, asset managers that embrace integrated operational ecosystems will capture greater international capital flows and achieve superior operating margins, while firms tethered to legacy, fragmented workflows will face rising cost pressures and restricted regional growth.
