The corporate actions ecosystem is reaching a decisive moment as volumes rise, timelines compress and the gap between structured and manual operating models continues to widen. Data quality is becoming a more direct determinant of risk, efficiency and operational resilience. 

How much operational risk is still being created by fragmented and misaligned data? What changes when firms treat ISO 20022 not just as a messaging standard, but as a foundation for more mature operating models?

Part three of the series examines how data quality gaps create operational pressure across asset servicing and why structured, interoperable data is becoming central to lower-risk, more efficient operations. It shows how ISO 20022-based models are reducing manual touchpoints, improving orchestration and creating a stronger base for future transformation.

The research, produced in partnership with SmartStream Technologies, highlights:

• ISO 20022 adoption can reduce processing errors by up to 87%, while shortening the corporate actions lifecycle by up to three days

• Firms adopting more structured models also report slower cost growth and a 20% improvement in service level agreement adherence

• The paper examines how data quality gaps affect operational risk, automation, scale and efficiency across the lifecycle

• ISO 20022 is emerging as both a safeguard against fragmentation and a basis for longer-term transformation