The buy-side heads into 2026 facing a transformative period. Markets are volatile, operational costs continue to rise, regulatory expectations are tightening, and AI adoption has shifted from an experimental phase to an essential feature. Meanwhile, 2025 saw record AUM growth globally, but also the largest year-over-year increase in technology and data spending across asset management.
In short, firms are expanding, but the cost of running an investment organization is rising even faster.
Here’s what we see buyside firms prioritizing in 2026 and why INDATA’s SaaS and tech stack is uniquely positioned to solve these challenges.
1. Resilience in a World of Market Volatility & Operational Risk
2025 delivered some of the most volatile trading weeks since the early pandemic era, and firms learned a hard truth: operational resilience is no longer optional.
Buy-side firms want systems that remain stable during:
- Intraday volume spikes
- Market shocks
- Liquidity disruptions
- Exchange outages
- Regulatory announcements (like the FCA’s 2025 short-selling overhaul)
Why INDATA stands out:
Our cloud-native SaaS ensures performance consistency and uptime even during extreme market events, something legacy vendors have trouble with.
2. End-to-End Data Quality to Combat the “Data Cost Crisis”
Industry reports show buyside firms increased data spending 9–14% in 2025, the highest annual jump ever recorded. Much of this cost comes not from buying data, but from fixing it.
Firms want:
- Robust Portfolio Accounting
- Automated reconciliation built into their underlying systems
- Elimination of silo-based data architecture
- Customizable Reporting built on clean, real-time data
Why INDATA stands out:
Our Master Data Model (MDM) framework and Advanced Reconciliation Service (ARS) eliminate the manual data challenges that inflate budgets. Because our Trade Order Management, Portfolio Management Software, and Portfolio Accounting share the same dataset, firms get true data integrity without expensive middleware.
3. True Modernization Without Multi-Year Disruption
Firms have watched some of their peers attempt multi-year conversions to monolithic platforms, only to end up over budget, behind schedule, and still dependent on legacy systems.
In 2026, firms want modernization without chaos.
They want:
- Migration in months, not years
- A platform that evolves with them
- Seamless upgrades without disruption
- Predictable costs and transparent pricing
Why INDATA stands out:
Our cloud-native SaaS supports front-to-back or incremental adoption, whether Trade Order Management, Compliance, PMS, Portfolio Accounting, Performance, or Reporting, all delivered without the multi-year upheaval common with large legacy vendors.
The Bottom Line
The buy-side’s 2026 wish list is shaped by real-world pressures: volatility, rising data costs, and regulatory complexity. Firms want platforms that reduce operational risk, enforce data quality, integrate front-to-back, and deliver meaningful AI-driven efficiency.
INDATA uniquely checks all these boxes, not with marketing buzzwords, but with real, modern SaaS that aligns with where the industry is headed next. Request a demo today!
