This is a pre-event interview in the run-up to the Leaders in Finance Wealth Management Event 2025 on 6th March 2025.

Marije: Thank you so much for your time, Jos Martens, Sales and Business Development Director at Objectway. We appreciate you speaking with us ahead of the Leaders in Finance Wealth Management event on March 6th, where you will be present. To start off, could you tell us a bit more about yourself, Jos?

Jos: Yes, thank you, Marije, and I appreciate your time for this interview. We are, of course, very much looking forward to the event on March 6. I am Jos Martens, originally from the Netherlands but spent much of my early life abroad in Austria, France, and the US before returning at 24. I’ve lived in the south of the Netherlands for nearly 30 years with my wife and four adult children—my youngest, twins, still at home—perhaps to avoid spending all their own money. I’ve been with Objectway for almost 19 years. My career started in ERP, but the opportunity to move into financial services opened new doors. I started in partner management, helping a Belgian company to expand internationally – until a major turning point in 2008, when the company were acquired by Thomson Financial. Suddenly we had access to a global network that reshaped our ambitions.

At that time, I moved into business development and sales, focusing on the Asia-Pacific region and navigating the complexities of a rapidly evolving market. Then came the financial crisis, disrupting industries around the world. When Thomson Financial merged with Reuters, our portfolio management solution was spun off and found a new home at Objectway. What could have been setbacks became opportunities to evolve. Each transition strengthened our resilience, and today I continue to embrace change and help customers do the same. For the past 12 years, I’ve focused on business development across Europe, covering the Benelux, the Nordics, and Iberia. I’m very much looking forward to the event , where I’ll have the opportunity to meet many clients and prospects.

Marije: Wonderful. It sounds like a very international and impressive track record. Of course, Leaders in Finance are very happy to welcome Objectway as one of their partners for the upcoming event. Could you tell us a bit more about what Objectway does and give us some insight into your business?

Jos: I’m happy to do that! For over 30 years, Objectway has been helping banking, asset, and wealth management firms grow and scale with confidence. We’re not just another tech provider—we’re a trusted partner, supporting over 250 leading financial institutions spanning from Europe to the UK, the Middle East, and North America. With more than €3.5 trillion in assets administered and 100,000 investment professionals relying on our solutions, we know what it takes to navigate complex markets. Our integrated global organization, with our global headquarters in Italy and distributed regional headquarters in Belgium, the UK, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Canada, brings together 850+ business and technology professionals, ensuring we can serve both global giants and regional leaders with tailored solutions. Our strategy? A mix of organic growth and smart acquisitions, keeping us at the forefront of innovation. We started leading Italy’s wealth management software scene to expanding our services across Europe, the UK and the Middle East, and with our latest expansion in Canada we’re now scaling a global platform that adapts to any market, any jurisdiction, and any business model. But none of this would be possible without our strong and loyal client base. We’ve built long-term relationships with leading financial institutions—ranging from global giants to specialized regional players—by consistently delivering value and innovation. They trust us as a strategic partner who understands their challenges and opportunities.

At the core of everything we do is our Platform designed to support the entire wealth ecosystem. Objectway specializes in providing software solutions and services for wealth and asset management, and private banking, focusing not just to keep businesses running, but enhancing client experience and streamlining operations, helping financial institutions stay ahead in an evolving landscape, which aligns with the theme of the event on March 6th. Through our flexible Solution-as-a-Service approach, we offer solutions across the full spectrum, from back-office to digital channels, including core banking, portfolio management, decision-making layers, and digital channel solutions. Whether our clients need modular solutions, or a trusted partner to support their whole business evolution, we provide the agility and scalability to make it happen. We serve an extensive spectrum of financial institutions, including retail banks with private banking or wealth management arms, private banks, and family offices covering the needs of their different service models, from execution-only and discretionary portfolio management to advisory services for retail clients to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices.

Marije: That’s quite a broad spectrum of services that you offer. And also, if I understand correctly, in many different regions. What differences do you notice when it comes to the international side of the business? Because I can imagine specific services being more common in certain areas.

Jos: That’s a very good question, Marije. What you notice in the Dutch market is that it is mostly shifting towards discretionary portfolio management, largely brought on by MiFID, which required consistent advice and eliminated kickbacks for financial institutions. When you look across the borders, the UK follows a very similar model due to the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) regulation, driving the market increasingly towards discretionary management. However, if you go further, either to the south or the north of Europe, advisory services are still prevalent, possibly sustained by the kickbacks and restitutions paid by fund providers to financial institutions. That said, there’s a clear trend of this becoming less common, with advisory services increasingly reserved for the wealthier clients—while most others are moved into discretionary mandates, typically managed through model portfolios and similar structures.

Of course, there are specialties, and that’s why solutions like ours are well-positioned to cater to both discretionary and advisory needs. Additionally, there’s a growing merge between the two, where even ultra-high-net-worth clients in discretionary models still have a portion of their portfolio managed in an advisory manner.

The shift towards discretionary management first took off in the UK and the Netherlands, particularly over the past 10 years. Now, we see this trend spreading, especially in Scandinavian markets, where we receive increasing requests to transition from advisory to discretionary portfolio management. In Southern Europe, advisory models still dominate, though they are gradually catching up with discretionary management. This could be due, in part, to regulators in those regions being less strict than their counterparts in Northern and Western Europe.

Marije: There seem to be quite some differences in services across countries. Do you also notice variations in client needs locally—specifically in what they want and how they approach their relationship with Objectway? How do they navigate that?

Jos: Working with our clients—banks and financial institutions—is fundamentally relationship-based. Private banking and wealth management are deeply rooted in relationships, where the advisor maintains a close connection with their clients. Advisors need the right tools and information to present their products and offer high-quality and more personalised advisory services effectively. That’s where we fit in. We provide them with the tools that enables them to engage with their clients throughout the entire journey—from selecting products to ensuring that those products remain aligned with the client’s needs over time, to collaborating over the customer’s preferred channels, and to ongoing monitoring and reporting. This spans the full wealth cycle, from wealth creation to inheritance and passing it on to the next generation. While there are cultural differences and service models across geographies, the core principle – bringing client relationship to center stage – remains consistent.

Marije: We are, of course, very happy to have Objectway as a partner for the upcoming event and grateful to have you for this interview. What are you most looking forward to on the 6th of March?

Jos: Being in the wealth management and private banking space—and with the Dutch market being one of my core areas—I’m really looking forward to reconnecting with familiar faces and meeting new people. Events like this are a fantastic opportunity to exchange ideas, hear different perspectives, and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and trends shaping our industry. I’m especially eager to engage in meaningful conversations, learn from peers, and explore how different institutions are navigating change. It’s always inspiring to discuss fresh insights and approaches, and I see this as a chance for a valuable knowledge exchange that benefits everyone involved.

Marije: Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for taking the time, to speak with me, Jos. Looking forward to seeing you on the 6th of March!

Jos: Same here. See you there!