Magistral Consulting

  ESG Analysis: Turning Sustainability Into Investment Alpha By: Dhanita Arora  October 30, 2025 Share:        In the past few years, ESG issues have moved from being an ethical necessity to a material priority. Investors are no longer perceiving  ESG  as some sort of Platonic ideal- they see it as a quantifiable driver of long-term value creation. However, the old industry’s reliance on ESG ratings is starting to crack. Ratings typically do not accurately capture the actual behavior of corporations in real-time or the materiality of their financials, providing investors with an incomplete picture of opportunity and risk in sustainability. With evolving markets, the dialogue is shifting quicker than ever from scores to signals, and from ratings to outcomes. Sophisticated ESG analytics, fueled by data, technology, and contextual intelligence, are redefining how portfolio strategies are crafted, tracked, and implemented. The Expanding Market Dynamic...

  Due Diligence in Real Estate: Strategic Backbone of Investments By: Akansha Agarwal  October 27, 2025 Share:        Real estate  remains a preferred asset class for investors seeking stable income, diversification, and inflation hedging. Global transaction volumes are recovering, with direct deals in early 2025 reaching nearly $185 billion. It is representing a year-over-year increase of more than 30%. Yet activity is still below historic highs, making valuation accuracy, financing risks, and market liquidity key concerns. In this climate, due diligence in real estate is no longer a compliance formality but a critical safeguard. It covers financial validation of  rent rolls  and expenses, compliance with valuation standards, and environmental checks. They include Phase I assessments and new resilience frameworks. Sustainability pressures are also reshaping investment outcomes. Poor energy performance increasingly leads to “brown discounts,”...

AI Fund Operations: Driving Trust Through Explainability By: Tanya Jain  October 23, 2025 Share:        Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming the working engine of contemporary funds. From portfolio analysis to compliance tracking, automation is reducing operational turnaround time by 40–60% among leading  asset managers . But as they race to implement, one vital question takes center stage in C-suite meetings: Can we believe what AI is reporting? In AI fund operations, explainable AI (XAI) is becoming the connector between speed and accountability. It makes sure that all AI-based decisions—whether from NAV validation, transaction screening, or investment scoring. They are traceable, auditable, and justifiable. To the top fund executives, explainability is not a technicality. It is the cornerstone of governance, investor trust, and operational integrity. The New AI Imperative in Fund Operations: From Efficiency to Explainability The function of A...

  KYC Due Diligence Trends and Best Practices 2025 By: Prabhash Choudhary  October 21, 2025 Share:        In today’s active financial environment, regulators and investors are supervising institutions on an ongoing basis. Accountable measures such as transparency, anti-fraud measures, and verifying the identity of applicants are imperative to ensure the market and other participants have confidence. This is the very essence of   KYC due diligence . It supports financial institutions in minimizing the risk of money laundering and possible reputational harm associated with the financing of terrorist activities through the application of identity verification, risk profiling, and ongoing monitoring. Deloitte’s survey in 2024 found that 70% of global banks allocated more than 15% of their compliance budget to market oversight, which meant KYC investments were an investment in real regulatory technology, committed to the process of reporting under KYC as it...