Macquarie Wrap addresses asset allocation challenge

17 August 2009

LONDON — Macquarie has introduced new functionality to its Wrap service as part of its commitment to continually enhance its proposition for financial planners and their clients.

The new functionality includes the delivery of smarter, more efficient portfolio rebalancing, asset allocation analysis and model portfolio tools to assist financial planners with streamlining their client review and investment process.

This enhancement actively monitors an individual client’s asset allocation and provides the planner with alerts to variances of both asset allocation and target model portfolios set by the planner. It also compares the client portfolio with previously established strategic or tactical benchmarks and is able to propose trades to the planner where appropriate to rebalance. Planners can then allocate assets across tax wrappers to create bespoke outcomes for a client’s specific situation.

“Adrian Nash, Head of Product and Proposition at Macquarie said, ‘Feedback from our users is that too much time is spent by planners and their staff administering client portfolios, established against asset allocation benchmarks and then re-aligning them as appropriate; this has historically been a manual and painstaking process. The ability to now control the timing and extent of the rebalance means that planners can produce bespoke outcomes for their clients, whilst maintaining an efficient operational business process’.

Macquarie launched its wrap account to planners in the UK earlier this year with the aim of supporting them to deliver a greater level of service to their clients, whilst also assisting them to run their businesses more efficiently.

About Macquarie Banking and Financial Services Group
The Macquarie Banking and Financial Services Group is the primary relationship manager for Macquarie Group’s (Macquarie) retail client base, providing a diverse range of products and services to personal investors, financial planners and other professional service providers. Amongst the services provided by Macquarie is one of the most successful Wrap Account offerings in Australia, which serves over 70,000 clients on behalf of over 2,500 financial planners. Macquarie rolled-out its Wrap Account to planners in the UK in March this year and is currently focussed on growing this platform and developing additional offerings in support of planners’ service to clients. The Macquarie Banking and Financial Services Group has approximately 3,000 employees with operations in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, North America, India as well as the UK and Europe.

About Macquarie
Macquarie is a global provider of banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services and acts on behalf of institutional, corporate and retail clients and counterparties around the world.

Macquarie Group Limited is listed in Australia and is regulated by APRA, the Australian banking regulator, as the owner of Macquarie Bank Limited, an authorised deposit taker. Macquarie also owns a bank in the UK, Macquarie Bank International, which is regulated by the FSA. Macquarie's activities are subject to regulation by over 100 agencies around the world. Macquarie’s approach to risk management is long-standing. Strong risk management practices are embedded in business unit management with central oversight of credit, market, funding, compliance and operational risk. These, together with committed, quality staff, are key drivers of Macquarie’s success.

Founded in 1969, Macquarie operates in more than 70 office locations in 26 countries and employs more than 12,700 people. As at 31 March 2009, assets under management total more than £118 billion.

For further information, please contact:

Gavin Winbanks
Corporate Communications
Macquarie Group
Tel: +44 20 3037 5944