I discuss Citi's roboadvisor launch and why it took the firm 12 years to get to the party. We break down the difference between financial services ingredients and the organizations that combine those ingredients to manufacture and distribute financial products. We also look at how that consumer prerogative is defining the asset management industry, and the consolidation towards monolithic passive indexing providers. Last, we talk about how people prefer mass produced Twinkies to expensive artisanal desserts. Yummy!
Invesco Perpetual has sold GBP9.6 million ($12.45 million) worth of shares in the Ranger Direct Lending Fund, reducing its stake to 27.9%; the GBP243 million ($315 million) Fund has been struggling in 2017; it primarily invests across the private debt landscape with a focus on private direct lenders; however its losses have been related to its exposure to troubled lending platform Argon Credit which it had invested in indirectly through the Princeton Alternative Fund; in February 2017 it reported a significant impairment charge for the investment and its value has been decreasing. Source
Invesco's digital wealth platform for financial advisors, Jemstep, is partnering with the retail broker dealer and investment arm of American financial services company KeyBank; this is the second big piece of news for Jemstep, they recently signed a deal with a network of US financial advisors called Advisor Network; Jemstep is a white label platform for financial advisors to offer their clients; Simon Roy, president and CEO of Jemstep, told AltFi’s Robo Advice News, "Jemstep is proud to partner with Key Investment Services (KIS) to deliver both a quality digital solution to help clients meet their financial goals and an efficient service that integrates within KIS's existing middle and back-office processes." Source