Advisers turn to tech for answers following RC

In a research note, Morningstar analyst Gareth James noted that Iress is a scalable, capital-light business with a high proportion of recurring revenue.

“We expect the company to benefit from the aftermath of the royal commission as industry participants, such as financial advisers and superannuation funds, increasingly demand software that can create efficiencies, minimise costs and mitigate operational risks,” the analyst said.

Mr James said that Iress’ wealth management division is likely to benefit from the changing financial adviser landscape in Australia and its strong market share in the UK. He noted that Iress will be able to defend its market position and grow its share of the wealth management software space from 65 per cent today to 80 per cent over the long term. 

“Following the financial services royal commission, the financial advice industry has undergone major reforms including phasing out grandfathered commissions, the retreat of large banks from the sector, and higher educational and compliance requirements for advisers,” the Morningstar analyst said. 

“Iress is well positioned to benefit from these trends as advisers who were previously aligned with the large Australian banks likely used Xplan and we forecast they will continue to favour this software at their new licensees or practices.”

Xplan is also the market-leading financial adviser software in the UK. Morningstar expected this to continue. 

Mr James also expected Iress to benefit from the changes in the Australian superannuation industry. The royal commission uncovered poor risk management and administrative practices at some of the largest super funds in the country, the majority of which operate in-house administration services. 

In October 2019, Iress signed an agreement with ESSSuper to deliver automated superannuation administration services. 

“We expect this division to continue to grow as superannuation funds aim to minimise costs, maximise investment fund returns and remain compliant under a growing regulatory burden,” Mr James said.