Speaking in Sydney yesterday, Nikko Asset Management managing director Sam Hallinan said the firm is looking to broaden its appeal to clients beyond the traditional managed fund channel.
"There will be a big focus for us over the coming 12 months specifically around having more people access our products in different ways," he said.
Mr Hallinan cited four direct investment 'buckets': listed investment companies (LICs), separately managed accounts (SMAs), mFunds and active exchange-traded products (ETPs).
Of those four, Nikko AM will be continuing its focus on SMAs as well as launching an active ETP in the current year, he said.
"We've done a lot of work on this part of the market, and this year will be a focus of us continuing to branch out of our traditional product set," Mr Hallinan said.
"You'd be less likely to see us moving to the sphere of LICs and mFunds. The two horses we're backing predominantly will be ETPs and SMAs."
Nikko AM's focus on direct, ASX-listed channels is largely down to the large number of unaligned advisers who use the firm's funds, he said.
"If [an adviser] isn't licensed by one of the big banks, the use of their platforms falls to less than 50 per cent. What that is telling us – and what we're seeing – is that advisers and their investors are saying to us: 'We want to access you in different ways'," Mr Hallinan said.
"There's been plenty of discussion about the evolution of products in an asset management sense here in Australia, away from managed funds being the only portal through which people can access our insights," he said.
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