Further recognition for Ascentric
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Ascentric was jointly awarded 'Best New Platform' at the 'adnitor 2008 UK Platform Awards Dinner' last night (Tuesday 21 October).The awards, in conjunction with CWC Research, were held at the Café Royal in London.
The 'adnitor awards' coincided with the annual Platforum Conference earlier in the day where Hugo Thorman, from Ascentric was one of a number of Chief Executive Officers debating the very important issue of Wrap Platform usage with IFA groups.
These annual awards celebrate the initiatives undertaken in the market and the evolving Wrap market. It also recognises that platforms will increasingly form a core part of the UK intermediated financial services landscape.
Hugo Thorman said, "Our sector is incredibly competitive with a host of new players entering the market in recent years. It gives me great pleasure that Ascentric has been recognised in this way as it is testament to the hard work of my team and the rigorous way we ensure our Platform reflects the needs of advisers. This can only spur us on to more success in the future"
The first adnitor Platform Awards were held in February 2007. Last night's dinner brought together over 300 people, with attendance from every Intermediary platform currently in the UK market and some of those intending to launch in the near future.
-ENDS-
For further information, please contact:
Mark Murphy
Ascentric
Email: mark.murphy@ascentric.co.uk
Tel:01225 787208
Mobile:07788 107373
Issued by Concise Public Relations:
Martin Wood
Email: martin@concisepr.com
Tel:01252 656435
Mobile:07946 527240
Note to Editors
1.FinQS is a provider of technology and solutions to the financial services industry. The focus for FinQS is on delivering quality solutions using the latest technologies and the services of experienced professionals within the financial services industry.
FinQS is a privately owned company established in 2007. FinQS is a trading name of Financial Quality Solutions Limited.
2.Ascentric and Fundsdirect are the trading names of Investment Funds Direct Limited.
Investment Funds Direct Limited was founded in 1982, and Fundsdirect launched as the UK's first online fund supermarket in December 1999. Since that time, the company has built on their reputation as a leading UK fund supermarket to provide Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) with a Wrap service under the brand name of Ascentric.
Ascentric is a whole of market Wrap service, available exclusively to IFAs and offers a fully integrated online investment management and dealing platform. It also enables IFAs to transfer their clients' assets onto a single platform to provide them with the ability to manage their client's financial needs in just one place.This is obviously a considerable enhancement to the existing, time-consuming practice of IFAs introducing their clients to a number of different product providers.
In October 2007, a majority holding of Investment Funds Direct Group Limited was acquired by Royal London Group.
For further information about Ascentric and Fundsdirect, please visit either www.ascentric.co.uk or www.fundsdirect.co.uk
Royal London Group is a specialist financial service provider. Its businesses focus on those sectors of the market which value premium propositions, operating through a number of brands:
Scottish Life – UK pensions market
Bright Grey – UK protection market
Scottish Life International – offshore investment markets
Scottish Provident International – offshore investment markets
RLAM – fund management
RLAS – life and pensions administration
Fundsdirect / Ascentric – funds supermarket; Wrap Platform
Royal London is one of the stronger life and pension companies in the UK, and has a strong track record for with-profits performance.
Royal London is the largest mutual life and pensions company in the UK with Group funds under management of £32.6 billion. Group businesses serve around three million customers and employ 2,630 people (figures quoted are as at 31 March 2008).