Every industry has its guiding myths. For investment operations, IBOR has been one of the industry’s North Stars. A single, trusted, real-time source of truth, pointing the way to consistency and operational harmony.
But not everyone is looking at the same star.
In the first blog of our North Star series, we explored why IBOR should be seen as an ongoing evolution rather than a one-time destination. Each team’s needs and priorities are unique, which means no two IBORs will look exactly alike. In this second part, we shift the focus to what firms can ask so they can define what their own North Star looks like and chart a path that brings them closer to their personal summit.
If your team, your vendor and your stakeholders aren’t aligned on what IBOR means for you, you risk investing in the wrong build, capabilities or expecting outcomes your platform was never designed to deliver.
So how do you start to eliminate any uncertainty around what is needed? Start by naming your star. Defining your IBOR vision doesn’t need to be complex, but it does need to be deliberate.
Start with a few simple questions:
The answers become your firm’s specific North Star. It may not look exactly like your peers’ and that’s the point. The danger, of course, is treating IBOR like a glowing answer to everything, only to discover it’s not what you thought once you get closer to it.
Defining your IBOR North Star up front helps avoid that costly trap. With a shared vision, every decision can be judged against the same criteria. Without it, you risk endless scope creep, ballooning costs, and a solution that satisfies no one.
The most important realization? There’s no single right way to build IBOR. One firm’s version might be focused on real-time data while others may emphasize consistency. Both can be valid, as long as they’re defined clearly, communicated widely, and measured consistently. IBOR isn’t one star in the sky. It’s a constellation. The task for each firm is to decide which star matters most and chart their journey accordingly.
Play the Score Your IBOR quiz, read FundGuard CEO Lior Yogev’s blog Stop Compromising on Your IBOR, and explore how FundGuard helps firms move closer to their IBOR North Star.
More of a listener than a reader? Catch our On Demand conversation between Kirk Littleton and Meradia’s Chris Cassara as they discuss practical approaches for integration, mindset change and reshaping the relationship between asset managers and service providers.
👉 Watch the replay here.
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