International Securities Services Association

What International Securities Services Association does

The International Securities Services Association (ISSA) is a non-profit industry association founded in 1979 and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, that connects and coordinates the global securities services value chain. Its served community comprises custodians, intermediaries, central securities depositories, asset servicers, and adjacent associations, with operations spanning Europe, the UK, Switzerland, North America, and Asia Pacific and engagement at events such as SIBOS. ISSA's core offerings are organized around eleven active working groups covering Accelerated Settlement, Alternative Investments, Asset Servicing, Cyber, Digital Assets, Digital Identity and Onboarding, Domestic CSDs, Emerging Themes, Evolving Technologies and AI, Financial Crime Compliance, and Investor Solutions, supplemented by an annual publication portfolio of white papers, reports, bulletins, quarterly newsletters, videos, and podcasts.

ISSA's products are research- and forum-based rather than technology-based: the association publishes industry benchmark surveys (notably the DLT in the Real World survey now in its seventh edition with The Value Exchange, Accenture, Broadridge, and Taurus SA, and the T+1 Pulse survey with Clearstream, DTCC, Euroclear, SIX Group, and multiple European/UK industry associations), a Sanctions Benchmark Survey with McKinsey, and the flagship ISSA Symposium held annually. The underlying infrastructure is a members-only web portal on issanet.org with no public API, SDK, or AI/ML platform; ISSA's role is to convene, standardize, and publish rather than to commercialize technology. Its business model is membership-funded, supplemented by event sponsorship and co-development partnerships with consultancies, CSDs, and technology vendors; membership pricing tiers are not publicly disclosed. ISSA is independently governed by a Board and Operating Committee and is operationally hosted by SIX Group AG under a hosting arrangement rather than as a subsidiary.

Name

International Securities Services Association

Legal name

International Securities Services Association

Website

https://issanet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Securities Services Association (ISSA) is a Zurich-based, non-profit industry association founded in 1979 that connects custodians, CSDs, asset servicers, and intermediaries globally through eleven working groups, benchmark surveys, white papers, and the annual ISSA Symposium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISSA is a non-profit industry association that delivers industry collaboration through thematic working groups, original research and surveys (including the annual DLT in the Real World benchmark), publications such as white papers and quarterly newsletters, and events led by the ISSA Symposium. Members are custodians, CSDs, intermediaries, and asset servicers collaborating on standardization, regulatory readiness, accelerated settlement, cyber, digital identity, AI, and financial crime compliance across the global securities services value chain.

Product overview

International Securities Services Association (ISSA) is an industry association that shapes the future of securities services by connecting industry leaders and stakeholders, collaborating on key themes impacting the securities services value chain, and developing forward-looking solutions. ISSA does not offer a commercial product; rather, it provides a portfolio of collaborative forums, publications, and events including active working groups (Accelerated Settlement, Alternative Investments, Asset Servicing, Cyber, Digital Assets, Digital Identity and Onboarding, Domestic CSDs, Emerging Themes, Evolving Technologies and AI, Financial Crime Compliance, and Investor Solutions), industry surveys (such as the annual DLT in the Real World Survey), quarterly newsletters, white papers, and the flagship ISSA Symposium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISSA Working Groups Collaborative industry forums in which member firms jointly research, write white papers, and develop standards and recommendations across key securities services themes including T+1 settlement, digital assets, cyber, AI, financial crime compliance, asset servicing, and digital onboarding.
• ISSA Publications Library of working group papers and reports, bulletins, articles, quarterly newsletters, videos, and podcasts covering securities services industry topics for ISSA members and the broader market.
• ISSA Events Program Annual flagship ISSA Symposium plus AGMs, webinars, snapshot events, and presence at external securities services events (e.g., SIBOS) for member and industry networking.
• DLT in the Real World Survey Annual cross-industry survey examining how distributed ledger technology and digital assets are being used in practice across financial markets, covering adoption, volumes by asset class, due diligence questions, top use cases, and digital cash/wallets/standards.
• Evolving Technologies and AI Working Group Publications White papers and reports covering AI deployment maturity, Big Tech partnership definition and execution, and digital transformation in client communication for member firms.
• Digital Identity and Onboarding Solutions Paper Standards and solutions paper defining industry requirements for digital identities to enable efficient onboarding of securities services clients, reduce costs, and mitigate risk.
• Financial Crime Compliance Working Group Working group publications providing principles and due diligence questionnaires for sanctions screening and financial crime compliance in custody and settlement.
• T+1 Pulse Surveys and Accelerated Settlement Working Group Recurring industry surveys and working group analysis of T+1 accelerated settlement transitions, including engagement with the EU T+1 Industry Committee and UK Accelerated Settlement Task Force.

Quantifiable outcome

• Conducts major industry surveys including the DLT in the Real World survey (5+ iterations), T+1 Pulse surveys, and sanctions benchmark surveys
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• McKinsey & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025ISSA collaborated with McKinsey on the 2025 ISSA Sanctions Benchmark Survey, analyzing sanctions risk management challenges for securities services firms. The survey of 18 participants revealed significant challenges including regulatory complexity, manual processes, and weak data capabilities.
• The Value ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISSA partners with The Value Exchange on the annual DLT in the Real World survey, which has become the benchmark longitudinal DLT survey in the industry, reaching 350+ financial services organizations globally.
• AccenturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccenture collaborates with ISSA on the DLT in the Real World survey series, supporting the industry's seventh global survey on DLT and digital asset adoption.
• Broadridge Financial SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBroadridge collaborates with ISSA on the DLT in the Real World survey and other industry research initiatives, providing technology and market expertise.
• Taurus SAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaurus SA partners with ISSA on industry surveys related to DLT and digital assets, contributing expertise in digital asset infrastructure.
• ClearstreamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClearstream sponsors the T+1 Pulse surveys and collaborates with ISSA on accelerated settlement readiness research for EU, UK, and Switzerland markets.
• DTCCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDTCC sponsors the T+1 Pulse surveys and collaborates with ISSA on research examining industry readiness for accelerated settlement across major markets.
• EuroclearcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuroclear sponsors the T+1 Pulse surveys and partners with ISSA on accelerated settlement research covering EU market preparations.
• SIX GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIX Group sponsors the T+1 Pulse surveys and collaborates with ISSA on Swiss market readiness assessments for accelerated settlement.
• UK Accelerated Settlement TaskforcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISSA collaborates with the UK Accelerated Settlement Taskforce on surveys and research for UK market transition to T+1 settlement.
• EU T+1 Industry CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISSA is an Observer Association on the EU T+1 Industry Committee, participating in distributing surveys and contributing to the EU transition to T+1 settlement.
• EFAMAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEFAMA (European Fund and Asset Management Association) supports the T+1 Pulse surveys and collaborates with ISSA on European market readiness research.
• ISITCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISITC collaborates with ISSA on T+1 readiness surveys and industry standardization efforts.
• ISLAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISLA (International Securities Lending Association) partners with ISSA on T+1 settlement research and industry surveys.
• AFMEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFME (Association for Financial Markets in Europe) collaborates with ISSA on T+1 Pulse surveys and European market transition research.
• ECSDAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECSDA (European Central Securities Depositories Association) supports T+1 Pulse surveys and collaborates with ISSA on European market research.
• UK FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Finance collaborates with ISSA on T+1 readiness surveys and UK market transition research.
• IA - The Investment AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Investment Association supports T+1 Pulse surveys and partners with ISSA on UK market readiness research.
• SWIFTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWIFT collaborates with ISSA on various working groups including Cyber, ISO 20022, and Digital Identity initiatives, providing messaging standards expertise.
• RippleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRipple supported the 2024 DLT in the Real World survey as a sponsor, contributing expertise on blockchain and digital asset infrastructure.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Securities Lending Association (ISLA): ISLA is the global trade association for the securities lending industry. Directly comparable to ISSA as a neutral membership body addressing a specific segment of the post-trade value chain, with overlapping members and joint T+1 research.
• European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA): EFAMA represents the European investment management industry. Comparable as a peer trade association addressing buy-side participants that intersect with the custody and post-trade value chain ISSA focuses on, and a direct collaborator on ISSA's T+1 research.
• European Central Securities Depositories Association (ECSDA): ECSDA represents European CSDs. Directly comparable as a peer trade association addressing the CSD and post-trade infrastructure layer that ISSA also covers, with overlapping member firms and joint T+1 research collaboration.
• International Securities Association for Institutional Trade Communication (ISITC): ISITC is a global industry body focused on institutional trade communication and post-trade efficiency. Directly comparable as a peer association addressing operational standardization in the same securities services value chain.

Broad incumbents

• Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME): AFME represents European wholesale financial markets. Comparable as a broader incumbent covering capital markets, post-trade, and market infrastructure, with overlapping membership and joint sponsorship of ISSA's T+1 Pulse surveys.
• Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA): SIFMA is the leading US securities industry trade association covering capital markets, investment banking, and asset management. Comparable as a larger, US-anchored incumbent addressing similar themes (T+1, DLT, AI, cyber) for the same institutional audience.
• Investment Company Institute (ICI): ICI is the leading association representing regulated investment funds globally. Comparable as a broader incumbent whose membership overlaps significantly with ISSA's asset-servicing and custody-oriented agenda.
• Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA): GFMA coordinates the global derivatives, securities, and asset management industry through its regional associations (AFME, ASIFMA, SIFMA). Comparable as an umbrella peer coordinating cross-border post-trade, capital markets, and infrastructure topics ISSA covers.
• International Capital Market Association (ICMA): ICMA represents participants in the international capital markets, including primary and secondary bond markets. Comparable as a peer association addressing market infrastructure, standards, and post-trade issues relevant to ISSA's members, with overlapping institutional membership.

Regional players

• Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA): AIMA is the global representative body for the alternative investment industry. Comparable as a peer association addressing asset-servicing and operational themes relevant to ISSA's alternative investments working group, though focused on a distinct asset class.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/issa-international-securities-services-association
• Xx.com/ISSAnet_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Securities Services Association