Videos

Martin Heelam talks about the impressive volume of applications since Assetz Capital’s Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) launch in December 2017. So far, this has been mostly investor-driven. Heelam expands on why that has been, and why the IFISA is central to products like those offered by the peer-to-peer lender – asset-backed loans to businesses – becoming mainstream investments which advisers routinely consider. He particularly singles out Assetz Capital’s transparency in terms of helping advisers to carry out due diligence.

Gillian Roche-Saunders, partner at BWB Compliance, talks about why the Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) has been slow to take off and what the process should be for advisers in terms of due diligence on each platform. She expands on how advisers can integrate qualifying investments into their proposition, from compliance to professional indemnity insurance to matching clients to appropriate investments across the “spectrum of risk” available in an IFISA.

On the eve of Octopus Choice’s second birthday, Caroline Flagg talks about where inflows are coming from following the launch of its IFISA. She reports that 750 advisers are now using Octopus Choice for themselves and their clients, the comparatively larger size of advised investments, and investor demographics. She then goes into the specific workings of Octopus Choice, how it builds on Octopus Property, an established business providing bridging loans against UK property since 2009, and Octopus’ first lost position.

Belinda Thomas discusses Triple Point’s Advancr Bonds and how these products evolved. She discusses consumer protection in terms of underlying security and Triple Point’s responsibilities as an IFISA manager. As an established manager in the tax-efficient space, she talks about pre-existing relationships with advisers and a growing volume of cash transfers.

Julia Groves, partner & head of crowdfunding at Downing LLP, talks about growing uptake of bonds in its Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) and advisers’ changing attitudes to these investments. She covers terms of investment, diversification, risk and the two kinds of products offered on Downing’s platform: fixed-term debt-based securities and a newer regular access bond. On choice in the market, she discusses how many IFISA-authorised platforms are genuinely adviser-ready and reveals something surprising about average investment size.

Jake Wombwell-Povey, CEO and co-founder of Goji, discusses increasing inflows after the Innovative Finance ISA’s slow start and what percentage are transfers from cash ISAs. In the direct lending space, he discusses the end of the ‘early adopter’ phase for retail investors, Goji’s increasing focus on advisers and the demographic of clients they recommend these investments to. The discussion takes in Goji’s history, status as an aggregator and approach to due diligence on the lenders it works with.