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  • Events ‘Technology and automation alone can’t help manage investor behaviour’

    ‘Technology and automation alone can’t help manage investor behaviour’

    Here are the key highlights of the session ‘Preparing for the distribution landscape’ held recently at Cafemutual Confluence 2016 in Mumbai.
    Team Cafemutual Oct 21, 2016

    The mutual fund industry is at a point where constant regulatory changes have forced distributors to rethink their business models. In this context, Cafemutual Confluence 2016 conducted a panel discussion in which experts from wealth management and boutique advisory firms shared their insights on the key trends driving the distribution landscape.

    The panellists included Kartik Jhaveri, MD, Transcend Consulting, Mimi Parthasarathy, MD, Sinhasi Consultants, Neeraj Choksi, Jt. MD, NJ India, Satheesh Krishnamurthy, SVP & Head- Affluent Business (Wealth Management & Private Banking), Axis Bank and Sharad Singh, Founder & CEO at Investza.

    Here are the key highlights of the session:

    Kartik Jhaveri

    • The greatest enabler in our success has been technology which is supported with a robust advisory model. If you do not provide holistic solutions, it is easy for clients to move from one advisor to another. It is because of going digital that we have been able to reach out to clients in so many continents.
    • When we talk about one-stop-shop, it is important for advisers to look at what they are offering to their clients. Financial planning is very basic; you will also have to focus on tax planning, estate planning, etc.
    • Robo-advisory platforms can help in penetration of mutual funds.
    • Though robos will help investors come on-board, eventually clients need hand-holding from advisors. I have been in this profession for more than 12 years now and I’m asked the same question very often – how do mutual funds operate and if they are risky? This shows that investors are still immature and need someone to guide them.
    • Going direct is a convenient option only for low ticket investors or extremely financial savvy investors.

    Mimi Parthasarathy

    • Our focus has always been on deepening the advisory business. This can happen by building relationships with existing clients as well as through referrals.
    • You need to have a certain level of intimacy with your clients and it can develop only through one-on-one interactions. To achieve this, you will have to create a team and give them training to keep client’s interest first.
    • Every client is different so you will have to cater to their needs differently.  Also, clients are willing to pay for the services you offer.

    Satheesh Krishnamurthy

    • A study conducted by the Boston Consulting group shows that globally 74 trillion dollar assets are under professional management. Of this, the total AUM of mutual funds in India is around Rs. 16 lakh crore which means there is a lot of opportunity for IFAs to grow in this space.
    • Another interesting data shows that the share of bank deposits in India is around Rs.90 lakh crore. So there is a need for well-skilled advisers to spread the importance of financial literacy in India.
    • Another untapped market is the B-15 market where many investors prefer traditional investments over mutual funds. Advisers can tap this opportunity to increase their client base as many people in India, especially from B-15 cities, do not invest in MFs.
    • Adopting the digital route is another key trend in the distribution space as clients are becoming tech savvy and you need to constantly invest in technology.

     Neeraj Choski

    • Last year, when FIIs were exiting the market, retail investors continued to invest. This shows that the level of maturity among investors is increasing.  
    • Technology is a critical part of the advisory business. The technology has to be simple and we should focus on how we can help investors use technology.
    • A study conducted by Institute of Canada on investors with and without advisers shows that investors with advisers had 2.7 times more wealth than investors who did not consult any adviser.
    • Technology does not understand investors feelings and therefore advisers play an important role in shaping investor behaviour.

    Sharad Singh

    • As life expectancy increases, the role of advisers will also increase.
    • As robo-advisors, we are more focussed on the young age group as the population of youngsters is expected to go up. They are tech savvy and want to get access to digital platforms easily.
    • As investors learn more about MFs, they will try to get access to direct plans since it is more cost-efficient.
    Have a query or a doubt?
    Need a clarification or more information on an issue?
    Cafemutual welcomes all mutual fund and insurance related questions. So write in to us at newsdesk@cafemutual.com

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    3 Comments
    Prashant · 7 years ago `
    It's funny that people call direct plans most or just cost effective. Without the right advise the plans will be a nightmare. Also if the investors are so intlligent why are RIAs required? Now let's come to the main point. What will be the cost of advise? Why only the product cost is important and not the cost in the hands of the customer. This move by SEBI increases the cost signifucantly so how does the customer benefit out of this. This means that until now all the advises given to people by distributors were wrong and benefitted the distributors only. How silly of them to even think something like that. Some missellers will be there in all the products let it be financial products or any other products.
    The idea should be find out them and punish them rather than making all the distributors pay for few people's mistakes. Banks are the biggest missellers of financial products but banks are never punished. They sell all the products except their own still that is fine. Also who can stop RIAs to open another distribution arm and sell the products as well? Everyone knows what they can do.
    All these just because AMCs have become so darn greedy that they want entire TER to themselves!!! Just because they want to increase their margin!!! Why should SEBI succumb to this at the cost of milions of customers?
    Prashant · 7 years ago `
    Also should SEBI be deciding the TER or how much an AMC is paying to distributors? Will SEBI regulate all the industries the same way on how much distributors earn? As long as the cost is controlled by SEBI, rest should be between distributors and AMCs but since AMCs want more money SEBI succumbs. Also AMCs cannot reduce commissions for the distributors since they will leave that AMC, they with the help of SEBI are doing this.
    Prashant · 7 years ago `
    And all this at the cost of milionsbig customers a cross the country.
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