Platforms must explore ways to support advisers in their digital and sustainable goals, M&G Wealth’s sales director has said.

Justin Blower told FTAdviser UK platforms needed to keep up the momentum in their digitisation and automation strategies, as hybrid advice becomes more important in a post-pandemic world and the UK government increasingly prioritises carbon neutrality in the wake of Cop26.

“Generally, advice firms have embraced portals and technology that allow them to service clients remotely,” said Blower. “And many more clients have become comfortable managing their investments online”.

But the sales boss has called on the platform industry to look beyond what it’s already achieved, and set its eye on future innovation.

“We need to see how else platforms can support that trend, enabling clients to self-serve more, while ensuring privacy, security and adviser control of the whole process,” Blower explained.

With the number of adviser firms using digital signatures swelling to 65 per cent by September according to NextWealth, Blower said he was sure remote working has become the norm for the majority of the industry.

As a result, companies have had to work harder to improve functionality for advisers.

Blower said this was among the company’s plans. He said: “We’ll be providing increased on-platform functionality – including a selected suite of financial-planning tools and our new ‘Fund & Sustainability Research Tool’.

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