An ASIC report notes the boom in demand for this asset, saying it heightens the need for “better-quality data” about the size of this sector where estimates range between $1.8 billion and $188 billion.
CPA Australia has weighed into the debate about the cost to oversee the industry, adding its voice to those who argue the fee structure favours the larger funds.
NZ stock researcher enters Australian market
(pictured: Daniel Kieser)
ASIC has given the NZ firm Shareclarity the tick of approval under its new fintech fast-track licensing process. Shareclarity aims to tap into SMSF investor demand for ASX and NZX company research from various sources.
Daniel Kieser, Shareclarity founder, said with its newly-minted Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) the company was well-placed to provide the service, which aggregates research and ‘crowd-sourced’ information on listed companies.
Shareclarity was included as part of the ‘Innovation Hub’ launched by ASIC to help start-up fintech firms into the AFSL regime and “streamline the licensing process where possible to facilitate innovation”, the regulator’s website says.
Kieser said that, while breaking into the larger Australian market would be challenging, Shareclarity had developed a solid platform in NZ that should transfer seamlessly to the other side of the ditch.
“What we have learned is that people want to make their own investment decisions and they want to find investments that resonate with them personally,” he said. “They also want to learn about different companies in their own time, without complexity and with the benefit of fully transparent and independent information.”
Shareclarity, which went live in NZ last September, currently provides independent valuation metrics on 150 companies listed both on the NZ and Australian markets.
In addition to information supplied by its in-house team of analysts, Shareclarity allows users to “debate, propose changes to, vote on and ultimately inform the assumptions that underpin each evaluation”.
“With information, people could engage more constructively with their advisors, investors could self-manage more of their portfolios, students could apply their learning, fund managers could challenge their perspectives and financial advisors could broaden the range of companies they advise on,” Kieser said.
While the platform provides some free access, users can access the entire system for $8 per month.
Kieser was named ’emerging leader of the year’ at the INFINZ Awards held in Auckland this May.
– David Chaplin, Investment News NZ
