Monday 12 April 2021

What on earth has Aladdin got to do with it?!

I swear some of these people live in a fantasy world. They're worse than W. B. Yeats with his fairies! 'What's this, boss?' PR email, Voice. 'Oh.'

Look - !

LONDON, 9 April, 2021 - State Street Corporation today announced that it has been appointed by M&G Corporate Services Limited, part of M&G plc, (M&G) to provide outsourced middle office services. The agreement builds on a 10-year strategic partnership with M&G that will see State Street extend its current fund accounting and custody services for the wholesale fund ranges to provide middle office services, including portfolio services, reference data, cash reporting, transaction management, asset servicing and recordkeeping. State Street will perform these services largely relying upon BlackRock's Aladdin® platform licensed by M&G.

You see? Totally crazy! 'Yeah.'

State Street was one of the founding partners of Aladdin Provider and is a leader in the adoption of Aladdin data exchange (PDX) and the Aladdin middle office model. By leveraging the Aladdin experience and knowledge from M&G, State Street will administer middle office services on Aladdin, exemplifying how State Street offers clients the benefit of choice regarding their front and middle-office systems. The service model incorporates the use of Aladdin Accounting and Aladdin PDX messaging.

Unbelievable!

'Maybe we'll be able to get some sense out of Joerg Ambrosius, boss.' Oh, you reckon, do you?

Well, let's see ...

"We are delighted to expand our strong relationship with M&G," says Joerg Ambrosius, chief executive officer, Europe, Middle East and Africa at State Street. "We are committed to providing solutions for a wide range of our clients' needs including our State Street AlphaSM clients who can utilize both Aladdin and State Street product and services. This marks another important step in helping asset managers to stay focused on their investment process, lower their costs, improve efficiency and deliver desired investment outcomes."

Christ. Does anyone know how old this guy is? 'How old was Yeats when he stopped writing about fairies?' Ha! About fifty years old, I think. 'Bloody hell!' Yeah.

Oh, I don't know.

Maybe Roddy Thomson has a sensible head on his shoulders ...

"This agreement is part of our five-year transformation programme to position M&G for sustainable long-term growth," says Roddy Thomson, M&G's chief operating officer. "It will enable us to focus on what we do best as investment managers, while developing a truly global and scalable investment operation in partnership with State Street."

Well, that's better! He didn't mention Aladdin, did he? 'Or that magic carpet. Or that lamp with the stupid Genie in it.' Ha!

And people say I'm nuts. Well, they used to. I'm very sensible these days.

ENDS

...

Anything else? Music? I've finished my new tune, man, with the structure and everything. Twists and turns. Changing rhythms. Stops and starts. Slowing down, and getting quieter. It's turned out better than I was hoping for. It's my best piece of music.

Anyway, I'm thinking of eleven tracks for the album now at roughly fifty minutes, like this -

This World Don't Mean a Thing
Lucky You
Round The Bend
What's This Life We Live?
Latest Tune With No Title Yet
Good Times
Stella
Malibu
I'm Right Inside
Nothing
Life and Death

Later(s), rocker(s), roller(s)!