Jamie Downing

bfinance, a global independent investment consultancy, has announced a strategic expansion of its wealth sector services, as wealth managers face growing demand for sophisticated, institutional-grade investment solutions. Responding to a competitive landscape and changing client needs, bfinance is extending its expertise to wealth managers and multi-family offices, helping them deliver advanced investment strategies once reserved for large institutional investors.

With clients increasingly focused on sustainable and ESG-aligned investments and seeking the flexibility to enter specific opportunities alongside traditional mandates, wealth managers are under pressure to evolve their offerings. This shift is driving demand for solutions that blend custom portfolio design, ESG integration, and access to alternative asset classes. By broadening its wealth sector services, bfinance is supporting managers in providing these sophisticated options, empowering them to meet diverse and complex client expectations.

Jamie Downing, Managing Director and Head of Client Consulting at bfinance, commented: “We’re seeing a clear shift in the wealth sector, with managers aiming to replicate the sophistication of institutional investors to meet rising client expectations. Wealth managers now need to offer more than traditional investment options—they must deliver ESG-integrated strategies, alternative investments, and customised portfolio structures. This demand for advanced solutions has driven significant interest in bfinance’s expertise in manager research, strategic portfolio design, and fee optimisation.”

Originally developed in partnership with institutional asset owners such as pension funds, bfinance’s core research capabilities are increasingly sought by wealth managers. This partnership approach provides wealth managers with the flexibility to access only the specific expertise they need, acting as an extension of their in-house teams to enhance capabilities in areas such as manager research and selection, portfolio design, and performance monitoring.

In 2023, more than 10% of engagements conducted by bfinance were for wealth managers or multi-family offices, highlighting the wealth sector’s evolution towards institutional-style sophistication. The firm has seen a range of recent search activity from wealth managers, including absolute return fixed income, semi-liquid infrastructure, and liquid alternatives for downside protection.

Reflecting on recent trends, bfinance’s Asset Owner Survey indicates that wealth managers are increasingly adopting flexible mandates and ad hoc opportunities to capture emerging trends in ESG and alternative investments. Clients’ focus on cost transparency has also grown, with wealth managers scrutinising transaction costs for a complete view of expenses.

This expansion comes as bfinance marks 25 years of independence and celebrates a recent return to employee ownership under CEO David Vafai. With a presence in 11 financial centres worldwide, including London, Chicago, Toronto, Dubai, Sydney, and Hong Kong, bfinance remains committed to delivering its unbiased, research-driven consulting services to an ever-broadening client base across the wealth management and institutional sectors.

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