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Equities have long mastered turning content into revenue, but credit hasn’t applied the same discipline. Yet credit research can be monetized with the right infrastructure: clean client data, consistent interaction capture, smart tagging, and basic analytics. With these in place, firms can uncover trading opportunities, guide strategy, and unlock high-margin business that moves the needle.

Companies pour millions into data and analytics, and most firms are overflowing with talent—but their commercial and data teams often operate in parallel universes. The real value comes from the people who can bridge them: translating business goals into data use cases and data outputs into action. These “translators” aren’t a luxury anymore—they’re the missing link that makes analytics actually drive growth.

The pace of September conferences swallows entire teams, leaving little room beyond survival mode. The visible wins—meetings fought for, introductions demanded—prove success. But what about the hidden opportunities, the ones never even on the agenda? With clarity and focus, those overlooked wins can surface—and turn into outcomes that truly set a firm apart.

Buying star talent creates short-term splash, but lasting impact can come from building in-house. Like Barcelona’s academy turning prospects into champions, equity firms can transform rising analysts into first-call leaders. Spot the talent, sharpen their content, amplify their visibility, and engage strategically — and watch them drive both revenue and recognition.

Culture has always defined success in banking—discipline, hard work, and relationships remain core. But in 2025, firms must pair those values with modern capabilities and ways of working. Underinvesting will quietly erode market share, talent, and revenue, while those that embrace evolution strengthen competitiveness and sustain growth.

At KTB Advisory, I help markets and research businesses transform scattered data and underused resources into clear, actionable strategies. My proven, human-centered consulting process enables smarter analytics, improves client engagement, and drives measurable results—whether you need a full strategy reset or targeted optimization in key areas.

Success in institutional sales and research comes from judgment, relationships, and experience — not dashboards. But used right, data doesn’t replace your instincts; it sharpens them. It helps prioritize calls, flag trends, and surface gaps you might otherwise miss. The value isn’t in the numbers — it’s in what you do with them.

Last week at Unbundling Uncovered, the vision for AI and research was bold, but so were the reminders of what’s holding firms back. Legacy systems, fragmented data, and internal friction make it hard to move forward. Clean, accessible data is just the start. We need integrated systems, smart classification, and segmentation that supports real decisions. The future is AI—but the foundation has to come first. #research #AI #fintech

Before analytics can drive impact, sell-side firms need the right data foundation. That means consistent client records, full engagement tracking, centralized storage, smart research tagging, and clear client segmentation. Without these basics, even the best tools fall short. Strong foundations turn content into commercial results—and make monetization strategies scalable.

FY24 trading revenues hit decade highs—but the real story is what’s driving the outperformance. Top desks are using smarter client intelligence to deepen relationships, spot opportunities faster, and focus resources where they matter most. From sharper analytics to strategic engagement, insight is becoming impact.