Bloomberg AIM - Competitors and Alternatives
Features of Bloomberg AIM
Are you considering Bloomberg AIM alternatives for your order management needs? This article provides an overview of some competitors to AIM, enabling you to assemble an informed shortlist for your decision. First, we list some Bloomberg AIM functions compared to Limina and then list another 4 alternatives to Bloomberg AIM.
Note: Vendor information here is based on company websites, industry publications and online review sites such as G2, Gartner, TrustRadius and Capterra. Such pages have been reviewed in June 2024 as a basis for this article.
Best Bloomberg AIM Competitors
Bloomberg AIM is an order management system for the buy side, covering multiple asset classes. AIM is an acronym for Asset and Investment Manager.
The system leverages the extensive market data and analytics available through the Bloomberg Terminal, providing them natively as part of order-raising workflow and compliance checks. The fact that AIM is embedded within the Bloomberg terminal is both one of its key strengths as well as weakness:
- Strength
Terminal users can leverage the market data entitlements they already have in the terminal at no additional cost. - Weakness
Connectivity to external systems (e.g. execution systems) and data.
Bloomberg AIM functions include order raising, compliance, and post-trade processing. It integrates with other Bloomberg products (such as TCA & risk analytics), but such integrations are also possible for other OMSs - so it’s not a differentiator for AIM.
Here are the top 5 Alternatives to Bloomberg AIM:
- 01 Limina
- 02 CRD
- 03 Enfusion
- 04 Thinkfolio
- 05 Eze
Limina IMS
The team behind Limina are a team of former asset managers. We’ve faced the challenges of selecting, implementing and using many different systems. As such, we’ve set out to be as helpful as possible to you, for example, when evaluating vendors.
Limina IMS is a web-based investment management software that is often a solid alternative to Bloomberg AIM. If you’d like to learn more about Limina, here are some resources that you might find helpful:
Charles River Development (part of State Street)
Charles River IMS is a top-tier platform. Notable features of include:
- Comprehensive order and execution management capabilities
- Compliance monitoring and portfolio management tools
- Trade connectivity
Charles River primarily serves large asset managers but also caters to mid-sized managers. The platform’s scalability and flexibility are among its key strengths.
Online reviews suggest that the implementation process can be challenging, which may be a potential weakness for some clients.
Enfusion
Enfusion’s front-to-back-office software is a simple yet broad solution, initially built for hedge funds. The solution includes functionality from accounting to order management.
An advantage of Enfusion is streamlined workflows across front, middle, and back office functions. This is because all functions reside in one system, rather than scattered between multiple software.
The system’s core architecture is multi-tenant, which has the advantage of cost-efficient IT. The main disadvantage is that data isn't isolated between you and other investment managers (shared database).
S&P Markit Thinkfolio
Thinkfolio, a portfolio management system (PMS) by S&P Markit, offers comprehensive capabilities for enhancing portfolio visibility and decision-making processes. While initially focused on fixed income, Thinkfolio has expanded to cover multiple asset classes.
In addition to its portfolio management functionalities, Thinkfolio also includes order management capabilities. This allows users to streamline their trading processes and efficiently execute investment strategies.
Thinkfolio has undergone significant changes in recent years. In 2014, Markit, a global financial information services provider, acquired it. Subsequently, in 2022, S&P Global completed its acquisition of Markit, bringing Thinkfolio under the S&P umbrella.
SS&C Eze OMS
Similar to Enfusion, Eze OMS was initially created to service hedge funds. One fundamental difference is its pure focus on order management and compliance. In that sense, it’s a narrower platform that is more comparable to Bloomberg AIM in scope than Enfusion.
Eze OMS has been integrated with realtick (Eze’s Execution Management System) and Eze PMA (Eze’s portfolio accounting system) to create the Eze Investment Suite.
In 2018, SS&C acquired Eze Software from TPG for $1.45 billion.
Why consider Limina's Order Management System
When looking at the capabilities of a platform, it’s important to remember that merely having the functionality isn’t enough. Here are some reasons why clients choose Limina over Bloomberg AIM Order Management System:
Switch from Bloomberg AIM
Changing systems can be perceived as risky. We help you reduce switching risks and move confidently.
What clients are saying
By adopting Limina's scalable platform, Avanza has launched 33% additional funds without having to scale its investment operations team. They achieved:
- Decreased dependency on single individuals - by replacing spreadsheets
- Improved operational efficiency - by increased automation
- "It’s such a modern portfolio management system – not only because it’s cloud-based, but the entire process flow and information I get is complete and up to date. It’s simple to use, flexible to work with, and it minimises the time for the entire trade workflow." / Portfolio Manager
- "Limina helps us reduce operational risks." / CEO