Platforms as “guiders”

Earlier this week – before I drowned myself in dark chocolate and red wine in an attempt to make sense of the world – we held a roundtable in London with platforms, asset management firms and financial advisory firms about tracker funds and ETFs. One attendee asked:...

Let’s get digital

My wife often quips, “Your phone won’t grow old but I will!” And the fact is that we have all become addicted to our mobile phones. Nearly everyone (about 80% of the population) in Britain now owns a smartphone. 52% scramble to grab their phone within 15 minutes of...

MiFID II: the road trip

All set for a rebate-free world? We’ll keep you in suspense Platform pricing in the UK has fallen since the RDR with a range of ramifications for companies across the value chain. This should sound a warning signal for platforms in continental Europe in the run up to...

Fees, Adviser in a Box, Retirement

Our tenth annual conference, Platforum 2016, is now behind us. We thank attendees, sponsors, speakers and the conference chairman, Peter Mann. Many fascinating themes emerged throughout the day; I want to pick up a few. Fee pressure I raised fees in my opening remarks...