Automation has long been viewed with suspicion. Words like “replacement”, “redundancy” and “robot” hover around the conversation. But in investment reporting, the truth is much simpler, and far more pressing. 

Automation won’t replace your reporting team. The firms that use it will replace your business. 

The firms acting now are already pulling ahead. Those that delay further risk being left behind. Because in today’s fast-moving, regulation-heavy market, reporting automation is no longer a nice-to-have efficiency tool, it’s a competitive necessity. 

The new reporting divide: do or delay 

Across the industry, reporting teams are battling rising data volumes, complex ESG disclosure demands and shorter delivery cycles. Many still rely on manual input, endless spreadsheets and copy-paste routines that eat into every month. 

Those who automate are already seeing the difference: 

• Reports that used to take weeks are delivered in days. 

• Review cycles are shorter, errors fewer, clients happier. 

• Teams spend less time re-keying data and more time analysing it. 

As one Factbook client put it, automation “took a spreadsheet and turned it into a client-ready template at the push of a button.” The result? A process that once meant twenty-plus days of manual effort now takes a few clicks. 

Meanwhile, competitors without automation are still chasing sign-offs at T+20, while automated firms publish at T+5. 

Redeploying employee time: from production to progression 

Automation doesn’t replace people – it releases them. When machines handle the repetitive, error-prone parts of reporting, people can focus on higher-value work: improving data quality, refining insight, responding faster to client requests, and delivering more strategic outputs. All of these compound the advantages that automated reporting delivers. It’s not just the time saving that comes from automation, it’s the redeployment of resource into areas of the business that boost innovation and business performance. 

Factbook clients frequently describe this shift. Time once lost to version control and data validation is now spent on tasks that strengthen client relationships and drive business growth. 

That’s the quiet power of automation. It doesn’t remove human judgement; it gives it room to breathe. 

Agility becomes the new advantage 

Speed isn’t just about convenience, it’s a competitive edge. When new mandates arrive, when markets shift, or when regulations like SFDR and CSRD demand fresh disclosure, automated firms adapt in weeks, not months. They onboard clients faster, update templates instantly, and keep compliance teams confident every step of the way. 

This agility has already helped Factbook clients like ABSA, Lloyds Banking Group and Momentum Collective Investments deliver reporting at scale, with the accuracy, flexibility and brand consistency that manual teams struggle to sustain. 

Each of these firms gained market advantage through automation: faster turnaround, more polished output, fewer sleepless nights before deadline day. 

No one wants to be first. No one wants to be last. 

Change is uncomfortable. No firm really wants to be the first to move, but no one wants to be the one left behind either. The tipping point has arrived. 

The firms that embrace automation now will set the pace for everyone else. Those that don’t risk being caught in the same monthly cycle of late nights, last-minute edits and mounting inefficiency – watching competitors publish first, communicate better, and win the next mandate. 

Automation won’t replace your reporting team. But it will empower them – and help you outpace those that don’t. 

Now is the perfect time to automate.