Our regular round-up of the latest insights on investment distribution

Platform M&A activity has been bubbly of late in the UK and Europe, prompting questions on platform valuations. In continental Europe, MiFID II’s complexities will boost outsourcing. Allfunds is expanding rapidly on the back of this and FNZ’s acquisition of...

We’ve had a few non-UK clients this week ask us about the long-term impact of the RDR on UK advisers’ investment propositions. It’s still evolving, and we cover it in our latest UK Adviser Market report. One of the areas we have looked at is the interplay between...

As Brexit looms, what opportunities lie further afield for investment managers? We all know about wealth creation in Asia and the expansion of the middle classes. China is by far the largest new market for investment but it is largely closed to international asset...

The post-RDR rise of centralised investment propositions in adviser firms has led to a fertile market for research agencies. Whilst a swathe of advisers chooses to outsource portfolio management, the majority are still selecting funds and running in-house advisory...

Average fund charges have fallen through the floor in the UK since the RDR. Ongoing charges – that had been 1.22% back in 2013 – fell to 1.03% in 2016 and then have dropped even more to 0.82% in 2018, according to Morningstar data. The RDR has driven clean share...

Hong Kong and Singapore have been attracting talent and wealth for some time. These days, they also compete to be amongst the most influential fintech and private banking hubs in the world. Many international asset managers have tried to tackle these markets but...