Commissions trump advice in India’s booming wealth management business
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s wealth management sector is sticking to lucrative commissions over more transparent advisory fees, even a decade after the regulator pushed for a shift. Industry executives say higher compliance costs and investor reluctance to pay out of pocket have also stalled the transition.
Among India’s three top listed wealth managers, Nuvama Private Wealth hardly earns much out of advising clients, while Anand Rathi Wealth does not offer this service. For the third, 360 One Wealth Management, commissions continue to grow at a much faster pace. In 2013, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) rolled out investment advisor regulations, formalizing a model where clients pay a fixed fee to a wealth manager for advice.
According to Sebi, the objective of the framework, among other things, was to address the conflict of interest arising from the dual role played by the entity as adviser and distributor of financial products. India’s wealth management opportunity is expected to surge on rising affluence, strong economic growth, higher foreign direct investments, and the growth of the startup ecosystem. Bernstein estimates that the country’s serviceable wealth is expected to triple from $3 trillion in FY25 to $9 trillion by FY35.
Under the dominant distribution model, the wealth manager gets a commission from the product creator or an asset manager for selling its scheme or a fund, potentially leading to conflict of interest. Clients do not pay fees, and are charged an expense ratio on the overall investment,a part of which goes to the wealth manager. However, when there is no monetary benefit to prefer a particular scheme, the adviser is expected to suggest a product best-suited for
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