Ascendant Joins Compliance Solutions Strategies as Anchor Firm

Ascendant Joins Compliance Solutions Strategies as Anchor Firm

Ascendant Compliance Management, a leading compliance consulting firm, today announces its partnership with Compliance Solutions Strategies (“CSS” or the “Company”), a newly founded global compliance risk management company launched by CIP Capital, LLC.

The CSS platform was created through CIP Capital’s investments in three leading businesses in the governance, risk management and compliance (“GRC”) market: Ascendant, Advise Technologies, and The MoneyMate Group. This strategic combination of three leading organizations will result in a global platform that leverages software across a broad range of solutions to enable clients in the financial services industry to meet mandatory regulatory and compliance requirements.

“We’re very enthusiastic about our partnership with a team that has recognized Ascendant’s industry-leading talent and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Jon Higgins, Ascendant president and CEO. “One of the compelling and symbiotic aspects for us is CSS’ strategic and business philosophy, and we look forward to expanding services and solutions for our clients and increasing our international footprint.”

The CSS platform provides a comprehensive technology-enabled offering encompassing regulatory reporting, data management, outsourced compliance management services, compliance workflow tools, shareholding disclosure, trade monitoring, trading analytics and cybersecurity solutions.  The Company focuses on serving the global financial services industry and collaborates with a large client base across asset managers, alternative investment funds, investment advisors, broker-dealers, banks and insurance companies.  The platform offers expertise in an extensive range of regulatory requirements including AIFMD, CPO-PQR, Form ADV, Form PF, MiFID II, N-MFP, N-PORT, Rule 206(4)-7, Rule 38a-1, Solvency II and PRIIPs, among many others.

Key products across the platform’s current offering include Consensus, Signal, Vault, Ascendant, ACM, Trade Blotter Manager, Accudelta, Silverfinch and Longboat Analytics.  The Company maintains a global footprint across both the United States and Europe with offices in locations including New York City, Salisbury (CT), Dublin, London, Paris and Amsterdam.  The senior executive teams of all three companies will continue to run their respective businesses as part of the CSS platform.

“The financial services industry faces significant operational challenges and headwinds from the complex and ever-changing regulatory environment,” said Jim Casella, who will serve as Chairman and CEO of the CSS platform and be based in New York City. “Now more than ever, firms need to leverage technology and software to ensure compliance with a broad range of non-discretionary regulatory requirements in a transparent and efficient manner. This unique combination of Advise, Ascendant and MoneyMate will provide the industry with a strategic partner for regulatory compliance.”

CSS will streamline these challenges faced by the financial industry by integrating services and technology to ensure the most effective and efficient solutions for clients. Ascendant leverages the experienced and diverse backgrounds of its team members to offer innovative compliance consulting to investment advisers, investment companies; Advise focuses on regulatory intelligence software tools that work simply and intuitively; broker-dealers and more; and MoneyMate specializes in fund data technology, working with stakeholders across the investment lifecycle to achieve better access to data.

By synergizing their offerings and creating a diversified platform of solutions, CSS can uniquely serve a global customer base and ensure the client’s full service from the outset of the trading cycle until post-compliance.

“Advise, Ascendant and MoneyMate have each developed a range of innovative solutions in response to the needs of their clients,” said Bobby Kelly, Managing Director of CIP Capital. “We look forward to serving as their partner as part of the combined platform and providing additional resources and further investment in order to better serve our global client base.”