Wrap/platforms

Barclays wealth and investment management business has launched a range of five risk-rated model portfolios as it looks to further align itself with the IFA community.

Ascentric has broken the £4bn assets under administration (AUA) barrier as the Royal London-owned wrap nears 12 months of sustained profitability.

Standard Life CEO Paul Matthews said he is excited about the roll-out of the retail distribution review (RDR) next year, as he expects more advisers to use its fee-ready wrap and investment solutions.

Platform unbundling will no doubt make investment trusts more accessible - but the jury is still out on whether it will make them more popular.

The FSA has raised concerns that advisers are adopting a "one size-fits-all" approach to platforms and not adequately managing conflicts of interest.

The FSA has suggested it is likely to go ahead with a ban on fund manager rebates when it publishes a consultation paper at the end of the month.

Fidelity FundsNetwork has become the first of the fund supermarkets to confirm it will offer investment trusts ahead of RDR.

Close Brothers Asset Management (CBAM) has made its discretionary portfolio fund range available to advisers via True Potential's Wealth platform.

The pick of this week's articles on IFAonline...

Skandia UK has revealed plans to offer advisers the chance to co-brand the platform, as well as expand the range of services customers can directly access on its platform, amid a fall in profits.