Financial institutions can demonstrate the value of a data investment by showing how it improves client service, product delivery, or business operations. CDOs, CIOs, and finance partners should agree on the intended outcome, establish a baseline, and assign someone to track progress. They can then measure whether teams use the new capabilities to make faster decisions, reduce operating costs, or provide better service.

At FIMA 2026, Michael Nirschl, who was Managing Director and Chief Information Officer of Morgan Stanley at the time of the conference, emphasized the gap between building technology and changing the business. "The return is not having a capability. A capability in isolation has no value to the enterprise. A capability that has changed the business in a way that the business is operating better, that's an investment with a payoff." His observation puts adoption at the center of the investment case: data capabilities must become part of the processes through which an institution serves clients, delivers products, or manages its operations.

Another FIMA 2026 conversation illustrated how this connection works in practice: a director of market reference data products described using data product adoption information to optimize market data spending. Understanding consumption helped the organization focus spending on data with greater business impact, connecting product management to a specific investment decision.

Data leaders should start each investment proposal by asking what will change for the business and who will act differently. Agree with the business sponsor and finance partner on a baseline, a measurement period, and the evidence needed to assess progress. Then track adoption alongside the intended outcome, using a focused rollout to demonstrate value before expanding the investment. This keeps the discussion centered on business results rather than technical completion.

Join financial services data leaders at FIMA 2027 to compare approaches to measuring data investment value and turning capabilities into business outcomes.