BRUNCH
·
SUBSCRIBERS

Robo-advisers want to be more than a one-trick pony

Robo-advisers leveraged tech and easy passive investing to bring customers on board. Now they are reaching for new markets as they strategise for growth

Benjamin Cher

Benjamin Cher

Published Fri, Nov 25, 2022 · 03:00 PM
    • Robo-advisers leveraged tech and easy passive investing to bring customers on board.
    • Michele Ferrario started Stashaway after feeling frustration from dealing with relationship managers at banks.
    • Endowus co-founder Gregory Van says education is key in helping users understand what is happening with their money when they invest.
    • Syfe founder Dhruv Arora says the expansion of products was based on customer requests.
    • Robo-advisers leveraged tech and easy passive investing to bring customers on board. ILLUSTRATION: SIMON ANG, BT
    • Michele Ferrario started Stashaway after feeling frustration from dealing with relationship managers at banks. PHOTO: STASHAWAY
    • Endowus co-founder Gregory Van says education is key in helping users understand what is happening with their money when they invest. PHOTO: ENDOWUS
    • Syfe founder Dhruv Arora says the expansion of products was based on customer requests. PHOTO: SYFE

    INVESTING today feels quick and painless – a few clicks, and access to a bewildering array of funds, equities and bonds opens up. Paralysed by uncertainty? Robo-advisers are on hand to shape a portfolio based on your risk appetite and themes.

    Personal investing has taken on an automated twist ever since robo-advisers arrived in Singapore in 2016.

    Riding a wave of growing preference for passive investing, these platforms came on the scene bearing set portfolios that offered exposure to different markets and themes, at a fraction of the cost of individually buying across multiple funds. Even portfolio rebalancing is passive, automated to prevent concentration of allocations.

    Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.

    Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.