Adviser Ratings turns licensee matchmaker

Adviser Ratings has announced the launch of “Adviser Connect”, which it describes as a “matching service between advisers and licensees” aiming to work with “best of breed financial advisers and licensee groups to facilitate growth”.

A post on its website published yesterday says it is in “constant dialogue” with advisers seeking its “guidance” on which licensee to choose, leading to the launch of the new service.

“We have information on the licensee market — technology offering, lead generation opportunities, fee structures, compliance requirements, training support and so on,” the post said.

“We want to connect advisers (new and existing) and licensees with shared values and a vision of improving and enhancing the reputation of the industry, making quality advice more readily available and delivering better financial outcomes for all Australians.”

The website also indicates that Adviser Ratings is an authorised representative of iPraxis, a licensee specialising in limited AFSL services for accountants.

Adviser Ratings was launched in 2014 as a consumer-facing platform aiming to allow the general public to rate financial advisers.

It has subsequently launched a number of B2B initiatives such as the new matchmaking service and the FinForward conference held in March.

At the time of its launch some financial advisers raised concerns about their inclusion on the platform without permission.

Former Adviser Ratings spokesperson Christopher Zinn told ifa at that time that the data underlying the ratings platform was sourced via a commercial transaction with Rainmaker Group, a research house and publisher of Financial Standard.

Mark Rantall, then-chief executive of the FPA, said the professional association would be keeping a “watching brief” on the development of the Adviser Ratings business.