Robo-Advisors: Mapping the Competitive Landscape

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The wealth management industry has long been resilient to the digitization process observed in the wider financial services space. This has started to change, however, with interest in robo-advice platforms increasing in 2015. The automated investment management space is hence becoming ever-more competitive as new entrants launch propositions. Supported by software developers, traditional wealth managers have also started exploring the digital advice market. Competition will thus increase further, although robo-advisors are still looking for business models that will appeal to HNW individuals.

Scope

• Regulators have not been able to keep up with the growing popularity of automated advice solutions. This creates an opportunity for industry leaders to have a direct impact on how the regulatory environment around robo-advice is designed.

• The US is the home market of low-cost robo-advice, as self-directed investors are driven by price sensitivity above all else.

• New entrants across the globe are introducing innovations to the automated advice space.

• Most wealth managers focused on the HNW segment do not consider robo-advisors a threat to their business, as the wealthiest individuals show limited interest in robo-advice.

• Robo-advisors that emerged as startup companies will partner with incumbents to attract more assets to their platforms.

Reasons to Buy

Understand what robo-advice is and how it affects traditional wealth managers.

Recognize regulators’ approach to robo-advice and the guidelines to consider when launching digital investment platforms.

Learn best practice from established automated advice providers’ case studies.

Discover how automation can be beneficial to your company’s operations, particularly in relation to advisor efficiency.

Identify the markets with the highest growth potential in the automated investment space.

Asset Builder
additive
Betterment
FutureAdvisor
Charles Schwab
SigFig
Wealthfront
WiseBanyan
Personal Capital
Vanguard
Hedgeable
Huygens Capital
Ellevest
Fiver a Day
MoneyFarm
Money on Toast
Wealth Horizon
Brewin Dolphin
Nutmeg
Scalable Capital
Hargreaves

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The robo-advice market will grow as traditional players launch digital platforms

Key findings

Critical success factors

DEFINING ROBO-ADVICE

Robo-advisors are digital investment management platforms

The first client-facing robo-advisors were founded in 2008

Robo-advisors were preceded by PFM tools

Automated advice platforms are often fintech startup companies

B2C robo-advisors have been evolving, with traditional players building their platforms

Robo-advice has also entered the B2B space

Financial advisors can use existing solutions initially designed for the B2C market

Robo-advice platforms are now offered by IT software developers

Regulators are increasing the scrutiny on automated advice

Regulators' attitudes towards robo-advice differ between markets

The industry should use the robo-advice label carefully

CLIENT-FACING ROBO-ADVISORS COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

The US is the home of robo-advice

US robo-advisors operate three typical business models

The vanilla US robo-advisors appeal to cost-sensitive investors looking for simplicity

Hybrid business models leverage the digital channel to offer advice provided by humans

Robo-advisors have to introduce unique features to succeed in the long term

UK robo-advisors have been lacking recognition

The uptake of digital platforms in the UK differs from the US

Few digital players have obtained advisory permissions

Major UK competitors offer non-advised digital discretionary asset management

Business models in other markets mostly follow US and UK competitors

Theme-based investing can engage clients more

More advanced portfolio management strategies could attract sophisticated investors

Few robo-advisors operate in more than one market

Universal financial services providers have the resources to launch innovative platforms

Wealth managers are not concerned by robo-advisor competition

HNW individuals in developed markets show little interest in robo-advice

Robo-advisors are not sophisticated enough to compete with traditional wealth managers

Human relationships remain vital for HNW investors

AUTOMATED INVESTMENT TOOLS FOR HUMAN ADVISORS

Relationship managers can be more efficient when backed by technology

Retail robo-advisors should be interested in partnerships with human advisors

Betterment Institutional partnered with Fidelity

Hedgeable and Scalable Capital offer investment management for institutions

RBC's advisors will be using FutureAdvisor's capabilities

Jemstep started as a client-facing platform but shifted to work with advisors

Automated advice platforms are becoming a standard product offered by banking software developers

Envestnet built the Advisor Now portal

Additiv offers software incorporating automation at four different levels

APPENDIX

Abbreviations and acronyms

Definitions

HNW

Liquid assets

Mass affluent

Mass market

Robo-advisor

Methodology

Competitor factsheets

Verdict Financial's 2015 Global Retail Banking Insight Survey

Verdict Financial's 2015 Global Wealth Managers Survey

Exchange rates

Bibliography

Further reading

About Verdict Financial

Disclaimer

Table

Table 1: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: Betterment

Table 2: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: Wealthfront

Table 3: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: Schwab Intelligent Portfolios

Table 4: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: FutureAdvisor

Table 5: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: Personal Capital

Table 6: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: Vanguard Personal Advisor Services

Table 7: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: Hedgeable

Table 8: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: Money on Toast

Table 9: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: Wealth Horizon

Table 10: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: Nutmeg

Table 11: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: HL Portfolio+

Table 12: Selected digital investment platforms outside the UK and the US

Table 13: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: Stockspot

Table 14: Verdict Financial's competitor factsheet: True Wealth

Table 15: Selected established financial services firms' activity in the robo-advice space

Table 16: US dollar exchange rates, December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2015

Figures

Figure 1: Selected US robo-advisors by business model

Figure 2: US self-directed investors want to save on fees and invest easily

Figure 3: The UK self-directed market is not fee-driven

Figure 4: Selected competitors in the UK digital wealth management space

Figure 5: HNW clients' level of interest in robo-advice is moderate

Figure 6: Robo-advisors are too simple to compete with traditional wealth managers

Figure 7: German wealth managers consider robo-advisors a threat to their business

Figure 8: Contact with human advisors is vital for HNW clients

Figure 9: US robo-advisors' low fees attract HNW clients' attention

Figure 10: Automated investment tools can increase wealth managers' efficiency

Figure 11: Betterment Institutional offers an easily integrated investment and client management solution

Figure 12: Additiv's digital private banking platform is a solution for HNW clients

Frequently asked questions

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