Incapital will expand its platform for distributing structured investment products, according to statement from John DesPrez, who joined Incapital as chief executive in January. DesPrez said the increase of notes and market-linked deposits from the US distributor is a natural evolution as well as a response to the expected 50% increase in direct-to-adviser wholesaling business for this year.
Through Incapital's partnerships with structured note and market-linked CD issuers, financial advisers will have new opportunities to access structured investments designed to be customisable to help them meet their client's investment goals, said DesPrez.
Our frequency plans have not changed, said Jim Schaberg, managing director at Incapital. "We are casting a wider net to reach a greater percentage of financial advisors," said Schaberg. "We recently hired two specialists in our Chicago office who have a track record in the RIA market. [This development will] definitely [help] expanding our reach into the RIA market."
Incapital underwrites and distributes investment products to over 800 broker-dealers, institutions, asset managers, registered investment advisers and banks; represents over 300 issuing entities; and has underwritten more than US$350bn in securities. Incapital has marketed more than 3,200 structured investment in the US market of which 1,249 are still live products, according to SRP data.
The US broker-dealer has been at the forefront of educational initiatives in the US market and re-launched its Structured Investments Continuing Education (CE) programme, designed for financial professionals in November last year
The company also launched Legacy, a new investment platform designed to help advisers align their clients' financial and social impact goals, at the end of 2014, including a five-year callable step-up fixed rate impact note and a 10-year callable step-up fixed rate impact note as well as five non-rated notes issued by Calvert Foundation.
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