Funds management firm Wingate Asset Management has obtained its own Australian Financial Services License and is ready to take the next step in expanding its participation in the retail investment market.
The manager is currently waiting for ratings from a variety of research houses before it makes its next step into the retail market, which involves the inclusion of its two funds on investment platforms.
"The next cycle the research houses go through will be somewhere between October/November and February/March, and our rating will be awarded in that period," Wingate Asset Management chief investment officer Chad Padowitz said.
"We're ready now in terms of our documentation, process and all of those things. We've got that in place so now it's more about waiting for the right time when they are ready for us," he said.
Padowitz pointed out that the Wingate funds area is already open to retail investors.
To allow access to the funds in the meantime, Wingate is meeting other retail mangers to explore the possibility of having the funds included in a few multi-manager offerings in the market.
Wingate began its push into the retail sector midway through last year when it struck up a joint venture with Australian Unity Investments (AUI).
The boutique manager operates two international equities funds under its banner.
The agreement sees AUI as being largely responsible for the manager's retail market presence.
Once the ratings for the Wingate funds have been attained, AUI will determine which investment platforms to target for their inclusion.
