Investment management and fund solutions group Marlborough has made a ‘substantial’ investment in Clever Adviser Technology.
The deal means Marlborough has taken a ‘significant’ minority stake in Clever, which is a pioneer in the creation of quantitative analysis-driven fund selection and asset allocation services for financial planners in the UK.
The two companies have been working in partnership since August 2022 when they launched the Clever Marlborough Managed Portfolio Service (MPS).
The investment will enable Clever to accelerate its growth plans and further enhance its service by developing new technological capabilities to meet the ever-evolving needs of financial planners.
Colum Wilde, Founder and CEO of Clever, said: “We’re extremely excited about this new phase in our relationship with Marlborough and in Clever’s journey as a provider of top-tier services and systems to UK financial planners.
“Marlborough’s investment is a ringing endorsement of what we do and who we are and further strengthens our relationship with one of the UK’s leading independently owned investment management specialists.”
Richard Goodall, CEO of Marlborough, said: “We’ve been working closely with Clever over the past two years and we’ve been highly impressed by the quality of their team, their technology and the culture of the business. Like us, they have a strong growth mindset based on delivering first-class outcomes for clients, they have a ‘can-do’ philosophy and they’re a great team to work with.
“So, we’re certainly not seeking to change anything at Clever. We’ve invested to share in the success of a high-calibre business with what we believe is a very bright future and we’re looking forward to continuing to work in partnership with them for the long term.
“It’s this partnership approach to working with other businesses that’s one of Marlborough’s great strengths and it’s one of the key reasons that more and more firms are choosing to work with us.”
This is the latest in a series of investments by Marlborough. The group invested in national IFA business Truly Independent last year to support the firm’s ambitious growth strategy. This year Marlborough has also invested in South Africa-headquartered IFA business Carrick Wealth and Hong Kong-based financial planning and wealth management firm BMP Wealth.
Offering a range of six core and five sustainability-focused portfolios, the Clever Marlborough MPS combines Marlborough’s investment expertise with Clever’s proprietary fund selection and monitoring system, the Clever Engine.
Using powerful algorithms, the Clever Engine analyses millions of pieces of fund performance data to score and rank more than 4,000 UK-domiciled funds every month and make switching recommendations.
Marlborough’s multi-asset investment team, who have more than 125 years’ combined experience, provide due diligence and oversight before the recommended trades are signed off and executed.
Clever’s adviser clients have been able to use the Clever Marlborough MPS since August 2022 and it was made available to all UK financial advisers in September 2023 in light of “extremely positive” feedback. The Clever Marlborough MPS is growing rapidly and has reached more than £700m of assets under management in less than two years.
Marlborough is a leading independently owned investment management specialist and a provider of expert fund governance services to enable financial advisers and investment managers to launch their own funds or unitise existing portfolios. The group also includes an investment platform business, the Marlborough Select Platform, which combines digital-first technology with a commitment to exceptional service. The group manages assets in excess of £19 billion.
