Over the last five or six years there has been tremendous consolidation in the alternative fund administration space, with the likes of SS&C Technologies and Apex Fund Services acquiring specialist fund administrators. At the same time, the industry has continued to witness a race to zero, as service providers look to drive down costs – and offer more competitive pricing – using the latest technology innovations to win client mandates. This is fine at the larger end of the spectrum but for smaller fund administrators, these margin pressures are harder to absorb.