What Global Custodian does

Global Custodian is a B2B media and publishing company focused on the international securities services industry, established in 1989/1990 and headquartered in London with offices in New York, Singapore, and Paris. Founded by Dominic Hobson and Charles Ruffel and operating under Tungsten Publishing within the Finelight Group, the company produces multi-format editorial coverage spanning custody, fund administration, prime brokerage, market infrastructure, securities finance, and regulation. The product portfolio comprises a daily news website with a 4,233-page archive, a quarterly print and digital magazine, GC TV video content, multiple podcast series (The Future Is On, FinReg Angle, Securities Lending Spotlight, GC Legends), annual industry surveys across 15+ segments, a service provider Directory, the GC Legends Hall of Fame, and a Research Shop storefront. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees.

The business model combines advertising and sponsored content from securities services vendors and technology providers (FIS, Broadridge, Pirum, FundGuard, Euronext Securities), paid subscriptions to the print and digital magazine, sale of survey results and research reports via the Research Shop, and ticket and sponsorship revenue from flagship live events. Core customer segments are custodians and asset servicers (BNY Mellon, JP Morgan, State Street, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered, Northern Trust, Citi, BBH), fund administrators, prime brokers, market infrastructure providers (Clearstream, Euroclear), and technology vendors. Distribution covers a global audience of institutional buy-side and sell-side securities services professionals.

Strategic emphasis is on event-led community building, with annual flagship awards (Industry Leaders Awards in New York, Leaders in Custody in London and Singapore, Network Forum in Paris) and ongoing partnership expansion (Apex Group, State Street, Swift, Chainlink, Saphyre). Sub-brands include GC Legends, The Future Is On, and the Leaders in Custody awards franchise, structured to monetize recognition, benchmarking, and education across the securities services value chain. The company is privately held within Finelight Group, with no disclosed external funding and no public listing.

Name

Global Custodian

Legal name

Tungsten Publishing

Website

https://globalcustodian.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Global Custodian is a B2B media company covering the international securities services industry with news, a quarterly magazine, events, surveys, and multimedia content, serving custodians, fund administrators, prime brokers, and market infrastructure providers globally since 1989.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Securities Services Trade Media

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Custody (Cross-Border & Multi-Market) (FSAFAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Custody (Multi-Asset Safekeeping) (FSAAAOAA), Custodian Banks (Global/Regional/Sub-custody) (FSACAHAB)

Keywords

• Securities services media
• Custody industry news
• Fund administration research
• Trade publication publishing
• Asset servicing coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsorship: Sponsored content and advertising placements from industry vendors, technology providers, and service companies seeking visibility among custody and securities services professionals.
2. Subscriptions: Digital and print magazine subscriptions providing access to premium content, survey results, and industry research. Includes print edition and digital access options.
3. Research Reports and Surveys: Sale of industry survey reports, research publications, and special reports covering custody, fund administration, prime brokerage, and other securities services topics.
4. Event Tickets and Sponsorships: Revenue from industry awards ceremonies and conferences including Industry Leaders Awards, Leaders in Custody events, Network Forum, and various industry discussion forums.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Global Custodian is a B2B media and publication company serving the global securities services industry through a multi-format content platform. It produces daily news, in-depth features, GC TV video content, multiple podcast series, a quarterly print and digital magazine, annual industry surveys, the online Global Custodian Directory, and the GC Legends Hall of Fame. Revenue is generated from advertising and sponsored content, paid subscriptions to print and digital editions, sale of research reports and survey publications, and event tickets and sponsorships for awards ceremonies and conferences.

Product overview

Global Custodian is a B2B media and publication company serving the global securities services industry. It operates a multi-format content platform offering news coverage across custody, technology, market infrastructure, fund administration, prime brokerage, securities finance, settlement, and regulation sectors. The product portfolio comprises digital and print editorial content (News, Features, Magazine), multimedia content (GC TV videos and Podcasts), live industry events (Industry Leaders Awards, Leaders in Custody, Industry Discussion Forums), annual survey publications, an online service provider Directory, the GC Legends Hall of Fame, and a Research Shop for report purchases. Subscriptions provide access to premium survey data, research, daily updates, and print/digital magazine editions. The company is part of Finelight Group and is primarily funded through advertising, sponsored content, and paid subscriptions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GC Legends: Hall of Fame program honoring individuals who have shaped the securities services industry.
• The Future Is On
• Leaders in Custody Awards
• Industry Leaders Awards

Products and services

• News Coverage Daily news coverage across multiple sectors of the securities services industry for institutional subscribers, custodians, asset servicers, fund administrators, prime brokers, technology vendors, and market infrastructure providers.
• Features In-depth feature articles and editorial investigations covering topics such as cyberwarfare, digital assets, T+1 settlement, tokenisation, ETF share class developments, and private markets growth for securities services professionals.
• GC TV (Videos) Video content platform featuring panel discussions, roundtables, Fireside Friday interviews, and event coverage on private markets, T+1 settlement readiness, wealth custody, digital asset infrastructure, and European market infrastructure topics.
• Podcasts Multiple podcast series including The Future Is On (digital assets and DeFi), FinReg Angle (regulatory analysis), Securities Lending Spotlight, The Smarter Securities Podcast, Time to Settle, GC Stories, and GC Legends featuring industry leaders.
• Events Industry conferences and awards ceremonies including the Industry Leaders Awards (New York), Leaders in Custody (London and Singapore), Industry Discussion Forums, The Network Forum (Paris, Africa), and GC Leaders Forum, targeting custodians, asset servicers, fund administrators, prime brokers, technology vendors, and market infrastructure providers.
• Industry Surveys Annual industry surveys benchmarking service quality across prime brokerage, hedge fund administration, private equity fund administration, ETF administration, mutual fund administration, outsourced trading, agent banks in major/emerging/frontier markets, and tri-party securities financing.
• Service Provider Directory Online directory listing service providers across categories including global custodians, fund administrators, prime brokers, agent banks, agent lenders, consultants, market infrastructures, tri-party agents, legal service providers, stock exchanges, and securities services technology vendors.
• GC Legends Hall of Fame Hall of Fame programme honouring individuals who have shaped the securities services industry, with inductees announced annually at the Leaders in Custody awards ceremonies in London and Singapore.
• Magazine (Print and Digital) Quarterly print and digital magazine covering securities services industry trends with themed editions including Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Fund Services Annual, and The Outsourced Trading Handbook, distributed to paid subscribers.
• Research Shop Online store at store.globalcustodian.com selling research reports, survey publications, and archived analysis from Global Custodian and its parent publisher Tungsten Publishing to industry professionals and participating firms.
• Subscriptions Paid subscription services providing access to premium content including survey results, research data, daily industry updates, and digital or print magazine editions, available through store.globalcustodian.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual awards recognizing leaders across custody, fund administration, prime brokerage, and market infrastructure
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Apex GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2026Partnership to launch the Financial Markets Book of the Year prize, an annual award honoring authors worldwide for outstanding thought leadership in finance.
• State StreetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 2026 Private Markets Outlook event exploring findings of State Street's Fifth Annual Private Markets Study.
• FIScoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content provider offering webinars on investment accounting and transfer agency operations for hybrid funds.
• Euronext SecuritiescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content partnership for thought leadership on post-trade integration in Europe.
• PirumcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content on custodians and their operating model inflection point.
• FundGuardcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content on system of record in asset servicing.
• SwiftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for GC Leaders Forum NY panel discussion and networking event on adapting to changing landscape.
• ChainlinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for GC Leaders Forum NY panel discussion on industry adaptation and digital assets.
• SaphyrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for GC Leaders Forum NY addressing T+1 and industry questions.
• The ValueExchangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal partner in T+1 Industry Issues Forum series addressing settlement cycle transition.
• CLSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerT+1 Industry Issues Forum partner addressing settlement cycle questions.
• EquilendminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerT+1 Industry Issues Forum partner focusing on securities lending impacts.
• The TRADEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister publication partnership for Outsourced Trading Handbook and related survey, uniting two publications for this dedicated initiative.
• Finelight GroupcoreOthersParent company of Global Custodian, part of Tungsten Publishing group.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The TRADE: Closest direct peer: B2B trade media outlet covering trading, asset management and post-trade — Global Custodian's existing sister-publication partnership on the Outsourced Trading Handbook underscores the overlap in audience, advertisers and event franchises across the securities services value chain.
• A-Team Group: Specialist B2B research, events and media company serving regtech, data and post-trade technology buyers — closely analogous niche-publishing business model with research reports, awards (e.g., RegTech Awards) and industry roundtables targeting a similar institutional buy-side and vendor audience.
• Financial News: FT Group title covering asset management, investment banking and securities services professionals — broadly overlapping B2B financial-services media franchise with subscriptions, events and awards serving many of the same buy-side, custody and asset-servicing advertisers.
• Funds Europe: Haymarket Media B2B magazine covering European fund management, fund administration and servicing — directly comparable specialist trade-pub model targeting fund administrators, custodians and asset managers with overlapping advertiser set.
• Finextra: Long-running B2B financial-services news, research and community platform covering retail banking, capital markets, payments and post-trade — comparable digital-first trade media with sponsored content, news and community monetization aimed at financial institutions.
• WatersTechnology: Specialist B2B media covering capital markets technology, data and post-trade infrastructure — niche trade publishing with similar audience of custodians, asset servicers and technology vendors, overlapping with Global Custodian's market-infrastructure and technology coverage.
• Ignites (Financial Times): FT-owned B2B subscription publication covering the US fund industry — analogous specialist trade-pub model with paid subscriptions, conferences and awards serving a comparable buy-side and fund-servicing advertiser base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/globalcustodian
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-custodian-an-asset-international-publication

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Custodian