Credit Suisse Asset Management (CSAM) has added several multi-manager options to its fledgling platform, MasterWrap, after striking a deal with Mercer Investment Consulting.
The arrangement will result in eight of Mercer’s traditional institutional multi-manager funds packaged and added to the 90 existing investment options available on the three month-old platform.
The Mercer multi-manager funds will offer a range of investment strategies to retail investors ranging from conservative to high growth diversified trusts and sector specific funds.
Financial advisers using MasterWrap will also have access to Mercer research, and at a discount to the rate the asset consultant would otherwise charge for the service.
“This gives advisers the best of institutional and retail worlds… It also gives them consistency of research and approach on managers used in the multi-manager portfolios and other investments they are likely to use for clients,” Mercer retail consulting services head Rashmi Mehrotra said.
Credit Suisse Asset Management head of distribution Brian Thomas said it was important for MasterWrap to offer investors “the additional choice of an implemented solution”.
Of the 90 options available on the platform prior to today’s announcement, 17 options were CSAM options. MasterWrap launched three months ago into what has become an increasingly congested platform market.
Despite this CSAM sought to differentiate the platform from other providers by claims of delivering “true straight through processing” to advisers via a temporary exclusive deal with technology provider IWL.
