InvestSMART has announced a partnership with online platform Market Matters to launch a new investment offering.
Founded in 2001, InvestSMART is a source of investment research and introduced a robo-adviser service in 2013. It launched its own white label online investing platform with The Rask Group in March 2024.
The firm then announced in April that it had launched and funded its first investment strategies under the InvestSMART white label. This meant that Rask Invest would offer three ETFs on the InvestSMART platform: passive income, growth, and high growth.
In an ASX statement on 1 October, InvestSMART confirmed it has now entered a partnership with Market Matters, a financial platform that offers investment portfolios and provides breakdowns of market activity.
The two firms have worked together to launch an online investment solution under the InvestSMART white label platform. This will see Market Matters offer four diversified portfolios: Australian income, Australian growth, emerging companies, and a core ETFs portfolio.
Market Matters will directly manage the portfolios while InvestSMART will oversee the administrative, compliance, and technological components of the offering.
This will enable financial advisers to help clients invest in individual securities, allowing greater control over portfolio construction.
“We’re excited to partner with Market Matters to power their investment portfolios. This collaboration highlights our shared vision of using technology to provide flexibility and investor-friendly investment solutions to self-directed investors,” said Ron Hodge, CEO of InvestSMART.
The platform is designed to empower financial advisers, wealth managers, and brokers with the tools to address the evolving needs of investors, Hodge said.
“We’re seeing a major shift in wealth management. On one end, a large generational wealth transfer is taking place; on the other, younger generations, locked out of home ownership, are seeking alternative ways to build wealth,” the CEO said.
“By offering our proprietary technology to partners, we’re making professional portfolio management more accessible to both groups who need varying levels of advice.”
Moreover, Hodge said the enhancement allowing direct investments into individual shares will provide for greater customisation for advisers looking to tailor investment strategies to client goals.
James Gerrish, lead portfolio manager at Market Matters, said the firm explored various options and ultimately chose InvestSMART due to the flexibility of its technology and integration with its portfolios.
“A major advantage is the ability to offer HIN-based portfolios, which ensures our clients retain full legal ownership of their underlying assets – something many other platforms can’t offer,” Gerrish said.
