Platform providers push to meet demand for alternative assets

Investment Trends’ 21st Platform Competitive Analysis and Benchmarking Report has revealed that platforms are “acting swiftly” to expand their investment menu with private markets exposure.

This shift comes as 32,000 more high-net-worth (HNW) clients state their intent to dip their toe into private asset investments, on top of the 146,000 already doing so, among whom private equity assets are garnering the most financial investment.

One platform excelling in this regard, according to the report, is Netwealth following its partnership with iCapital to deliver a diversified menu of global private markets and hedge funds and provide access to relevant research and educational materials for advisers.

BT Panorama also proved a standout in this area through its partnership with Preqin, a global alternative assets education and research specialist, to provide educational models and access to in-depth research reports through BT Academy.

Additionally, through this platform, Panorama users are now able to access four Preqin research reports to boost advisers’ knowledge of alternative assets.

Similarly, Praemium is also providing its users with access to the latest research insights on alternative assets for enhanced advisory services.

Meanwhile, HUB24 continued to deliver educational material for its advisers, delivering presentations and white papers to support the growing demand from clients for alternative assets, particularly among HNW individuals.

Notably, Investment Trends director Paul McGivern highlighted that, with advisers seeking to specialise their service offerings and segment their client bases, platforms are taking “distinct strategic approaches” to tailor their offerings to these segments.

Praemium, for example, has sharpened its focus on helping advisers utilise alternative assets for HNW clients, particularly over the past 12 months.

Research by SuitabilityHub released earlier this month supported these findings, with the firm’s managing director, Recep Peker, telling ifa that this trend of platform specialisation is likely to continue, particularly as it becomes easier for licensees to develop their own specialised platforms.

“When we look ahead, I think we expect more specialisation … because it becomes an opportunity for them to differentiate,” Peker said at the time.