A new report from Numis entitled The State of AI in 2017 explains the potential AI and machine learning for wealth managers; as AltFi reports, “AI enables asset managers to deliver to the mass affluent a degree of personalisation and service quality previously reserved for high net worth clients.”; the technology can also help to improve quality, decrease cost and help to make most of the asset management industry into robo advisors. Source.
The Fund is increasing its dividend for the first time in eighteen months; dividend will increase to 1.7 pence per share after five consecutive quarters at 1.5 pence per share; the Fund currently has GBP343 million ($447.12 million) in assets and has been increasing its allocation to balance sheet investments. Source
Personal financial management (PFM) apps have had a bad few months with Prosper shutting down Prosper Daily and Capital One closing Level Money; but banks in general are still looking for ways to provide customers with their financial health; a research report by Celent in July points out that while apps are closing, banks are beginning to integrate some of the features from PFM apps; instead of sending customers to a third party app they offer the features within their own app or website as part of the everyday customer experience; Cesar Richardson, vice president for Strands America, tells American Banker: "There's no separate path. It's inside your day-to-day banking." Source
Robo advice platforms have commoditized personal investing providing greater automation at lower price points; however AltFi reports that despite increasing innovation in the market, investors are still demanding a human element; specifically, investors are favoring hybrid advice with a survey from Accenture showing two-thirds of high income investors wanting the combined services of robots and humans; mid-scale wealth managers are well positioned to meet this demand and firms such as Charles Schwab and Betterment have already incorporated hybrid services to support customers. Source
Amazon has a number of clients using Alexa for financial advice and solutions architect Felix Candelario says, "Natural language processing is the new rocket science."; clients include UBS, LPL, Fidelity, Capital One and Betterment; overall, machine learning innovation is providing for new technology solutions and pairing it with voice automated interactions adds a new element of service for customers. Source
Robo advisors are meant to be simple and automated to keep costs low and allow your wealth to accumulate; in looking at the top four firms in the market the Wall Street Journal found that humans choose what goes into the portfolios; this begs the question whether investors are aware of this human intervention; the WSJ takes a closer look at how Vanguard Group's Vanguard Personal Advisor Services (PAS), Betterment, Wealthfront and Schwab Intelligent Portfolios allocate their clients money; while robo advisors are deemed a simple solution they might not be and investors should understand how their money is allocated. Source
New research from Equifax Touchstone shows that automated investment has become a wider trend in P2P and wealth management; 82% of 141 surveyed investment advisors said they have a consistent approach to allocation and monitoring for clients; P2P platforms like Funding Circle recently removed self selection and instituted an autobid process for investors; John Driscoll, director at Equifax Touchstone, tells AltFi, "This approach helps strike the right balance between risk and return, particularly important in a world of increased market volatility."; according to Driscoll the FCA has been a main driver of this trend to ensure risk is maintained correctly for investors. Source
Dianrong and FinEX Asia have launched Asia's first fintech asset management platform; established in 2017, FinEX Asia connects Asian investors with US consumer lending assets, such as credit card loans, giving Asian investors access to a diverse portfolio of US consumer credit investments; FinEX Asia's fintech solutions offer risk modeling capabilities, blockchain data security, performance monitoring and secondary marketplace liquidity. Source
UK-based personal finance management app Money Dashboard raises $1.7 million in an equity crowdfunding round; the company used crowdfunding platform Crowdcube and the 1,708 investors together acquired a 9.55% equity stake; they use bank statements to organize spending data, give insight on budgeting and help to build a financial forecast. Source
German-based savings marketplace Raisin has received over EUR4 billion (USD $4.7 bn) in investments on its platform in less than four years; founded in 2013 it was the first investment marketplace of its kind in Europe and now has two times the total investment assets of its closest competitor; partnering with 34 banks across 17 European countries it helps customers find the highest retail deposit market rates. Source