Natixis Investment Managers has extended its Australian financial services licence (AFSL) to include retail investors, representing the next stage of its expansion in the Australian market.
The expanded licence enables the global asset manager to bring the capabilities of its more than 15 investment managers and over 200 strategies to Australian financial advisers and retail clients.
From 1 September 2023, the firm now incorporates the distribution team of Investors Mutual Limited (IML), a local affiliate of Natixis IM. This has seen the number of staff it employs in Australia to double to 20 people.
Louise Watson, the country head for Natixis IM across Australia and New Zealand, said the announcement is an important milestone for the firm.
“Financial advisers play a crucial role in steering Australians towards better financial futures. We want to help advisers better serve Australians by bringing greater diversity to the market to ensure investors have more choice in how they achieve their financial goals,” she commented.
“Our point of difference is our global expert collective of high-performing active managers that delivers more than 200 strategies across different asset classes including global large, small and medium cap equities, global fixed income, sustainable investing, real estate and private assets.”
The inbound interest from financial advisers was a key driver for Natixis IM to expand their licence.
With Australian investors being highly concentrated in Australian equities and property, Watson encouraged greater diversification to ensure more resilient investment portfolios.
Fabrice Chemouny, head of international distribution at Natixis IM, explained that extending their AFSL to reach retail investors reflected their strong commitment to the Australian market.
“Natixis IM has already built a good foundation among Australian institutional investors, and we are now looking forward to delivering our world-class strategies and client-focused service to financial advisers and individual investors,” he said.
Strategies from local affiliate IML are available to Australian retail clients as well as global investment managers, Loomis Sayles and Vaughan Nelson.
As the 17th largest asset manager across the globe, Natixis IM currently holds more than US$1.2 trillion assets under management globally.
The firm offers a wide range of solutions across asset classes, including its ESG strategies and products dedicated to advancing sustainable finance.
