RGen AIFM
RGen AIFM - Technical
The RGen AIFM solution is composed of 2 elements : excel templates for the capture interface (manual data input) and a converter named RGen AIFM.
We opted for a 2 parts solution which brings the following advantages :
- More flexibility, the filling task can be granted to a specialised colleague or a third-party expert
- Splitting the task allows the appliance of the 4 eyes principle
- Ease any help or support request to fill a template or to perform correction requested by the ESMA or CSSF.
Capture interface
The ESMA released 2 standards Excel template to fill for AIFMD, they can be downloaded at this link.
We released a first improved version of both templates early 2021. We continued to improve the solution with several updates. Mid 2024 we released a new and more definitive version (v3.0) - open the above PDF for a visual.
The main characteristics of our latest templates are :
- Neat and nifty interface, the templates were strongly customised to be clear & intuitive for users
- Many useful information added : help screens, cell's comment for each item, inline help, external links
- Listed values (drop lists) for all fields requiring a precise input
- All cells contain a data validation which prevent to enter inadequate values
- Many other extra functions were added and further should be added in the future releases.
RGen AIFM converter
RGen AIFM was developed considering users but also IT :
- For Users : intuitive, smart and easy-to-use
- For IT : portable, small (in size), easy to install or to package under Citrix, executable from a network/share drive, batch mode, extra support functions, clear logs
- Strong data validation engine including all the rules set by the ESMA + extra controls & calculations ensuring data consistency
- Generate the XML reports under ZIP with the requested filename, ready to be sent.
Automation
There are 2 levels of automation possible : automating the capture of the data and automating the report creation/generation.
Automating data capture RGen AIFM is able to receive in entry a raw (flat) data file and convert it to the final XML report. But the complexity of the AIFMD reporting, more particularly the AIF report, renders it from difficult to impossible. The task for the IT department in charge of extracting the right data required to fill all the 300+ fields of the report which must respect a preliminary great number of constraints is huge. Such project should be strongly discussed prior deciding to engage in it.
Another element to take into consideration is the frequency of these reports : from 1 to 4 per year. Except if one customer has to report for many entities, the cost to automate the capture part of this reporting will probably not be profitable.
Automating report's conversion The process to convert an Excel template to an XML report can be automated. It can be configured in semi-automated mode (on-demand) or in fully automated mode.
With semi-automation, users simply need to double-click an icon to initiate the conversion process. There is no longer any need to use the manual interface.
In full automation, users just have to deposit (copy/paste) completed template in a specific directory. RGen AIFM, installed on a server which runs periodically, will process it. Such configuration is usually installed within a broader workflow including the automation of the encryption & sending of the reports.
In both cases, RGen AIFM can send automatic email in case of error (or success) during conversion.