News and Events

Amba in the News
May 20, 2013
Amba featured in Financial Times documentary on the acceleration of outsourcing in India

Amba is featured in a video documentary entitled "Indian Outsourcing 2.0" published by the Financial Times. The documentary focuses on what is described as the second wave of outsourcing in India which presents a new trend of outsourcing more sophisticated services. In Amba’s case, this is primarily front office support to 80+ clients including the top 15 global buy-side and sell-side firms.

Amba’s Bala Srinivasa - MD, Global Head of Business Development describes this work as taking knowledge processes that drive revenue and applying a combination of analytical talent from India, experienced professionals returning from the United States and adding the rigor of what a traditional outsourcing professional is.

To view the video click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5zg1fG7m88&list=UUoUxsWakJucWg46KW5RsvPw&index=59

May 14, 2013
Amba's Chanakya Dissanayake featured in Sri Lanka’s Echelon "40 Under 40" list

Chanakya Dissanayake, Director and Country Head of Amba Research Sri Lanka is featured in Echelon's "40 Under 40" list. The Echelon magazine is a leading monthly publication focusing on Sri Lanka’s business landscape. The "40 Under 40" list highlights the younger generation's contributions to intensive economic growth in Sri Lanka. The listed individuals have influenced and succeeded in various areas of business, and are 39 years of age (as of 31 March 2013) or younger.

Chanakya was recently appointed as the Country Head of Amba’s Sri Lanka operations. He has been at Amba since its beginning. Prior to this appointment, he was Director, Strategic Initiatives. Chanakya is a CFA charterholder; an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK; and a Fellow Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), UK.

Click here to view Echelon's "40 Under 40" list: http://www.echelon.lk/home/40-under-40/

July 11, 2012
Amba's Ravi Sundararaman authors article on ‘The beauty of commercial ecosystems’ in The Asset magazine

Ravi Sundararaman, Director and Global Head of Product Management at Amba authored an article entitled ‘The beauty of commercial ecosystems’ in The Asset magazine.

Ravi writes: “Every now and then, a commercially successful business organization does not remain a stand-alone entity. It creates a platform, enables an ecosystem and provides a vehicle for several other entities to ride towards success. The transformational impact can last decades. There is a lot that India can learn from success stories here and elsewhere.”

Read more
May 1, 2012
Great Place to Work® ranks Amba Research Costa Rica in Top 5

Amba's Costa Rica office has been ranked the 5th great place to work in Costa Rica and 29th in Central America and the Caribbean in the 2012 Great Place to Work® Central America and the Caribbean Survey. A total of 103 companies participated in the survey  and the overall score to classify as a Great Place to Work® increased by 5% compared with 2011.

In 2011, Amba Research ranked 7th in Costa Rica and 38th in Central America and the Caribbean in the survey. 

Amba Research's Costa Rica research center was opened in July 2006 by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and then President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias Sanchez. The center provides equity research, fixed income and credit research, quantitative research, sales and marketing support, corporate finance, compliance support, and capital markets training to the global capital markets.

For full results of survey, please click here

April 25, 2012
Amba Research featured in Knowledge Services report by A.T. Kearney

Amba Research is featured as the number one provider in the capital markets research and analytics space in a report by business consulting firm, A.T. Kearney. The report, entitled ‘Competitive Benchmarking: Sri Lanka Knowledge Services', focuses on Sri Lanka as an emerging destination for the Information Technology (IT), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) industries.

As an adviser on global strategy and operations to many of the world's leading corporations, A.T. Kearney has been evaluating the pros and cons of different services locations for more than a decade. The report states that Sri Lanka is a "hidden gem for outsourcing", with a combination of extremely low costs, a highly educated English-speaking population with sophisticated technical skills, and a business environment and infrastructure that is superior to most low-cost countries.

Amba Research established its first delivery center in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2003. The firm has offices in New York, London, Singapore, Bangalore, Colombo and San Jose (Costa Rica).

For the full report by A.T. Kearney, click here.

March 14, 2012
Article written by Ravi Sundararaman, Director, Global Head of Product Management at Amba featured in The Asset magazine

In The Asset magazine, Ravi Sundararaman's article on "Eurozone crisis and the world of finance" explains why confidence is low in the global capital markets. The article concludes that a fresh infusion of talent may be needed to lower the cost of business and to make the capital markets more customer-friendly.

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January 12, 2012
ETF Market White Paper authored by Andrew Houston featured in ETFI Asia magazine

Extracts from co-Founder Andrew Houston’s white paper entitled ‘Challenges and Opportunities as the ETF Market Matures’ is featured in the Q4 2011 issue of ETFI Asia magazine.

The white paper examines the growth of the market, the pros and cons of the newer ETF products, and the competitive dynamics of the ETF industry.

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November 7, 2011
Bala Srinivasa, MD, Global Head of Business Development and Marketing, Amba Research, featured in The Hindu Business Line

In The Hindu Business Line, Bala Srinivasa discusses the impact of technology on financial institutions.

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October 24, 2011
Mohan Alexander, CEO and Co-Founder, Amba Research featured in Smart CEO magazine

“Amba Research offers round-the-clock research services to the global capital markets industry. It was ranked among the Top 3 Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) service providers in the 2010 Black Book of Outsourcing survey. Through this article, The Smart CEO aims to get a first-hand perspective of what makes the company tick”

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October 15, 2011
Mohan Alexander, CEO and Co-Founder, Amba Research featured in Human Factor magazine

Mohan Alexander discusses the potential of the knowledge process outsourcing industry in India

Read more

Events
September 20, 2012
Amba Breakfast Series 2012

Amba conducted a Breakfast event on the topic “Using offshore support to enhance investment research efficiency”. The event was held in New York on September 19, 2012. The 2-hour interactive program provided an opportunity to several sell-side and buy-side firms to interact with leading capital markets practitioners and learn how high-end outsourcing is being leveraged extensively in the industry.

June 7, 2012
Amba Co-Founder moderates panel discussion at 6th Annual Financial Services Transformation and Outsourcing Strategies Forum

Amba Co-Founder Andrew Houston, moderated a panel discussion at the 6th Annual Financial Services Transformation and Outsourcing Strategies Forum, held in New York on 7 June. The panel topic was entitled “Move to Bundled ITO, BPO and KPO within Middle and Front Office Functions” and panelists included representatives from BNY Mellon, First New York Securities and Infosys. The discussion focused on new frontiers of outsourcing seeking advantages beyond cost savings such as reduced time-to-market, greater product differentiation, improved compliance, effective governance, improved relationship management, and risk mitigation.

The premier one-day forum hosted by global research and information hub FSO Knowledge Xchange, is focused on the ongoing developments in the financial services industry. The forum aims to examine how regulatory reforms and cost pressures are impacting the financial industry and driving transformation. Amba Research was a Gold Sponsor of the event.

The event was attended by C-suite executives, senior managers and industry experts from the banking, capital markets, and insurance industries.

For more on the event, visit http://www.fsokx.com/Event/EventArticles.aspx?evid=30

May 10, 2012
Amba Research exhibits at Creditflux CLO Symposium, London

Amba Research participated as an exhibitor sponsor at the Creditflux CLO Symposium on the 9th of May in London. The one-day event brought together 300+ practitioners from the CLO industry to examine growth and evolution in the CLO market, whose revival is on track. For investors, this was an opportunity to discuss how best to invest in the CLO space; while managers and arrangers could debate on topics from consolidation to the European market.
For more on the event, click here.

To find out more about Amba's CLO offering, click here.

March 26, 2012
Amba hosts 2nd Annual Capital Markets Offshoring Strategy Conference

Amba Research hosted the 2nd Annual Capital Markets Offshoring Strategy Conference on 22-23 March 2012 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The two-day event provided a venue for participants to share best practices and case studies, discuss challenges and network with peers in the industry.

The event was attended by over 30 senior executives from leading investment banks and asset management firms. Speakers and panelists at the event included representatives from BNP Paribas Securities, Citigroup Global Markets, Deustche Bank AG, Fidelity Investments, J.P. Morgan, Russell Investments, Societe Generale Private Banking and Troika Dialog. Alongside representatives from capital markets firms, the speaker list included industry thought leaders from the CFA Institute, Colombo Stock Exchange and TalentSprint.

March 21, 2012
Amba Research exhibits at SIFMA Compliance and Legal Society Annual Seminar, 2012

Amba Research participated as an exhibitor sponsor at SIFMA's Compliance and Legal Society Annual Seminar 2012, in Miami, 18 – 21 March 2012. The premier event attracted more than 1,500 compliance and legal professionals globally. Topics discussed at the event included Capital Markets Compliance Issues and Regulatory Reform and Legislative Developments.

To find out more about Amba's Compliance offering, click here.

February 8, 2012
Amba Research exhibits at 3rd Global Distressed Debt Investing Summit, New York

Amba Research participated as an exhibitor sponsor at the 3rd Global Distressed Debt Investing Summit, held in New York on 8 February 2012. The Summit presented attendees with a chance to explore opportunities in the major sectors such as real estate, structured credit investing, the wavering Maturity Wall, and more.

To find out more about Amba's Distressed Debt offering, click here.

December 8, 2011
Amba’s Andrew Houston moderates panel discussion at asset management forum in New York

Andrew Houston, Co-Founder at Amba Research, moderated a panel discussion at the 7th Annual Asset Management Industry Transformation & Outsourcing Strategies Forum, in New York on 8 December 2011. The panel discussion was entitled ‘A Twist on the Outsourcing Vs. In-house Development Discussion’ and the debate focused on whether selected in-house development can sharpen their competitive edge and share some recent experiences in the true costs and risks associated with outsourcing.

The premier one-day event provides the opportunity for industry practitioners to discuss emerging trends, operational strategies and latest technologies for the investment industry. The conference is targeted at the senior management of firms and organizations involved in asset management, including Fund Managers, Investment Managers, Hedge Fund Managers, Institutional Asset Managers and Chief Information Officers.

December 7, 2011
Amba Research exhibits at the 16th Annual Super Bowl of Indexing in Arizona

Amba Research exhibited at the 16th Annual Super Bowl of Indexing 2011, held in Arizona from 4 to 7 December 2011. The event was attended by 750+ investment professionals from the indexing industry including fund managers, financial advisors and planners, traders, index and service providers, researchers and academics. An invitation-only event, the Super Bowl of Indexing allows senior representatives from the investment management community to hear from world renowned experts as well as industry peers.

As an exhibitor, Amba had the opportunity to inform participants at the event on the firm’s Index Support services. Amba’s Index Support team helps investment managers and investment banks develop and maintain their custom indices cost effectively.

September 22, 2011
Amba Research brings expert capital markets knowledge training to Sri Lanka

Amba Research hosted a breakfast presentation on their Equity Investment Analyst Training Program, which is approved by the CFA Institute’s Approved Provider Program. The presentation, held at the Cinnamon Grand, Colombo, showcased the flexibility and expertise of a highly relevant and tested capital markets training program designed by four former research heads of leading global investment banks.

The training program covers all the essential parts of the entire equity research process, including industry attractiveness assessment, financial modeling, equity valuation techniques, and effective investment note writing.

The event was attended by representatives from the top banks and corporate organizations in Sri Lanka. The audience included heads of research, chief financial officers, heads of corporate finance, and representatives of various professional bodies including CIMA, ACCA, and ICASL.

July 26, 2011
Amba-ICASL Valuation Boot Camp commences second intake, July 30 – 31, 2011

Amba Research together with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) presents the second intake of the Valuation Boot Camp, taking place between 30 – 31 July 2011 in Colombo. The Amba-ICASL Valuation Boot Camp is a two-day training programme designed to cover the best practices in cash flow-based and relative valuation techniques for equity securities.

In addition to training in valuation concepts, the high-end programme includes multiple hands-on case studies on valuing equity securities, including three Sri Lankan IPOs. The programme is ideal for finance and capital market professionals who wish to obtain an in-depth understanding of the techniques used in valuing equity securities.

The programme is run by a veteran training panel from Amba Research which includes: Senior Vice President, Global Head of Projects and Transitions: Chanakya Dissanayake (CFA), Vice President, Head of Knowledge Management: Aruna Perera (CFA), Vice President, Head of Training: Aidha Ahamat and Senior Associate Vice President, Training and Development: Sarah Yusuf.