Campaign Overview

AutoRek partnered with Berkeley Communications and Arlington Research to deliver three bespoke surveys across the Payments, Insurance, and Asset Management & Capital Markets (ICM) sectors. Each study uncovered sector-specific operational challenges and the reports produced positioned AutoRek as a knowledgeable authority at the intersection of finance, data, and automation.

Research Objectives

The goal across all three campaigns was to:

• Explore the impact of automation, AI, and regulatory pressure.
• Identify pain points in financial data management and reconciliation.
• Deliver media ready insights tailored to key sectors.

Methodologies & Audience

Arlington Research conducted three quantitative online self-completion surveys with the following

1. 500 senior finance professionals in the UK and USA, 22–30 October 2024, to explore attitudes and adoption plans related to automation, regulatory pressure, and financial data processing within payment operations.
2. 250 senior professionals in the Asset Management and Capital Markets sector across the USA, between 7–10 November 2024, about operational efficiency, adoption of AI, reconciliation challenges, and emerging regulatory pressures.
3. 250 senior professionals in the Insurance and Healthcare Insurance sectors across the USA, 19–26 Nov 2024, on key issues such as transaction volume growth, process inefficiencies, and premium payment and reconciliation challenges.

Key Findings

• Payments
  • 82% of firms have automation on their roadmap; 39% say AI will drive the biggest change.
  • 90% anticipate a tighter regulatory environment in 2 years.
  • 83% process payment data in real-time or daily.
  • 90% still rely on spreadsheets for financial operations.
• ICM
  • Top priorities: Client experience (49%), automation (48%), acquisition (38%).
  • 85% expect greater efficiency focus; main blockers include skilled staff and systems.
  • 79% said reconciliation processes are at risk due to current or projected data volumes.
  • 57% rely on spreadsheets and legacy systems.
• Insurance
  • Firms process an average of 16.77M transactions/year; projected to rise 28.7%.
  • Two-thirds use 10+ data inputs for premium processing; 52% still use Excel.
  • Main challenges: high data volumes, payment variability, legacy systems.
  • 82% believe AI will become the industry’s main tech focus.

Research-Driven Strategy

Each research project fed directly into sector-specific PR deliverables, enabling:

• Authoritative reports.
• Press releases with fresh statistics and commentary.
• Byline articles authored by AutoRek experts.
• Journalist briefings based on hard-hitting, data-rich angles.

Impact

Through strategic research design and precise execution, Arlington Research enabled AutoRek to engage deeply with key financial sectors and offer credible, data-backed insights. These campaigns helped AutoRek not only earn top-tier media coverage but also solidify its standing as a voice of authority across multiple verticals.

Download the reports:

The Future of Payments Operations 2025 – Why Legacy Technology Is No Longer Sustainable

The Tipping Point for Asset Management Operations: The Rising Costs of Operational Complacency

The insurance industry’s race to efficiency: Why overcoming data complexity relies on automation