Platforum

Platforum serves as a key resource for asset managers, platforms, and life insurance companies regarding retail investment distribution.

Local

English

Research Company/Group

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#10895450

Country

N/A

Articles

‘Trust’ is a tricky business – Platforum

Jan 17, 2025 | platforum.co.uk | Annalise Toberman

Platforum hosted a breakfast roundtable on Tuesday, where we shared research highlights. The distribution specialists in attendance opined on the industry’s direction of travel. Ostensibly disconnected threads of conversation in fact had a seam in common: the issue of trust. There was talk of how to convert some of the £2tn cash savings into investments. Social and cultural norms among UK savers mean that they do not implicitly trust the investment journey.
Advisers are addressing tech integration woes by using fewer systems – Platforum

Dec 6, 2024 | platforum.co.uk | Mariam Pourshoushtari

Advisers are fed up that their technology isn’t joined up. But this problem of poor integration is gradually improving as we reveal in our latest report UK Financial Advisers: Adviser Technology. Poor systems integration is a longstanding bugbear for advisers, because it forces them to enter the same data into separate systems, wasting time and creating errors.
Wealth managers’ funds-of-funds in the doldrums, but not if the price is right – Platforum

Nov 22, 2024 | platforum.co.uk | Annalise Toberman

There are many reasons why wealth managers may want to wrap portfolios into a unitised/fund structure: an expanded investment universe, simpler distribution, streamlined reporting, better control of charges and fewer CGT headaches. But unitised portfolios have been the poor relatives of platform MPS in recent years, as our UK Wealth Management: Investment Distribution report shows. Net flows for wealth managers’ unitised portfolios were negative between 30 June 2023 and 30 June 2024.
Adviser platforms must be ready for Budget-induced financial planning changes – Platforum

Nov 15, 2024 | platforum.co.uk | Lottie Bussell-Ahern

Adviser platform assets continue to rise, but the Budget poses challenges, according to our latest UK Adviser Platforms: Autumn Update report. AUA was up in Q3, with some platforms achieving growth of 4% or more. However, flows have taken a slight hit – especially with ISAs, where flows have been particularly volatile since 2022. Digging deeper, the gap between gross and net flows is widening for several platforms, suggesting outflows as advice firms consolidate assets onto fewer platforms.
D2C services plot different paths to similar destinations – Platforum

Nov 8, 2024 | platforum.co.uk | Callum Lawson-Gallagher

Online investing services offer their customers distinctly different experiences but are becoming more similar in how they combine investing, saving and day-to-day money, according to our latest UK D2C: Investor Experience report. Differences abound. Established services are comprehensive in what they offer, while newer entrants tend to specialise, exemplified by InvestEngine’s ETF focus. They also differ in how they offer content.
How IHT changes in the Budget will help life cos – Platforum

Nov 1, 2024 | platforum.co.uk | Danby Bloch

The Budget introduces significant inheritance tax (IHT) changes that will impact financial advisers, platforms, wealth managers, and asset managers. Life insurers, however, may benefit most. Key IHT adjustments include:• Limiting pensions as IHT avoidance tools, refocusing them as retirement income plans. • Reducing IHT business relief on AIM shares and certain other assets to 50%, effectively imposing a 20% IHT rate.
The continuing resilience of the advice market – Platforum

Sep 27, 2024 | platforum.co.uk | Mariam Pourshoushtari

Advice firms look after more clients and more assets than ever before. Contrary to popular belief, adviser numbers have risen since 2016, although much too slowly to keep pace with demand. Despite economic and regulatory challenges, advice business has proved to be extraordinarily resilient.
Platform selection tension – Platforum

Sep 9, 2024 | platforum.co.uk | Lottie Bussell-Ahern

There has always been a tension in how advisers select platforms. On one hand, platforms are products, recommended to clients, who generally pay for them. On the other, they are services primarily used by advisers. Platforms therefore serve two masters, with subtly different requirements. However, a shift in perception is occurring, according to our latest UK Adviser Platforms: Platform Selection report. The ‘platform as product’ approach has dominated for some time.
Exploring the opportunities and challenges of tailored model portfolio services – Platforum

Jul 19, 2024 | platforum.co.uk | Callum Lawson-Gallagher

Platform model portfolio services (MPS) has continued to experience healthy asset growth, buoyed by growing adviser demand as more advice firms have decided to outsource their investment management functions. Competition among MPS providers has intensified with wealth managers finding it increasingly tough to stand out in the crowd.
UK D2C assets surpass £500bn: the evolving UK D2C landscape – Platforum

Jul 12, 2024 | platforum.co.uk | Callum Lawson-Gallagher

UK Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) assets passed the £500 billion mark by the end of Q1 2024, but it was strong investment performance rather than net flows that drove assets higher. Much of the D2C market is dominated by direct platforms that offer open-architecture services, providing access to individual stocks and shares as well as funds from various asset managers. In contrast, the more limited services available directly from asset managers and retail banks have been steadily losing market share.