The future of sustainable investing and how advisers can seize the opportunity Sustainable investing has moved from niche trend to mainstream conversation, but the journey has been far from smooth.

With headlines swinging between record inflows and market volatility, advisers are asking: where does sustainable investing really stand today, and how can we leverage it to benefit clients while staying true to their values?

Join us as Suresh Mistry from Alquity leads a session where we unpack the current landscape of sustainable investing, explore what’s needed for it to fulfil its potential, and offer practical strategies advisers can implement immediately.

Suresh delves deeper into the below topics.

• The boom and bust of sustainable investing and what that means for advisers?
• What needs to change for sustainable investing to deliver on its promise?
• The fatal error most advisers make in meeting client sustainable investing needs and how to overcome this?

Oscar Wilde wasn’t a big fan of sitting on the fence. He famously remarked: “The man who sees both sides of a question is a man who sees absolutely nothing.”

Despite that era-spanning rebuke, I feel it’s well worth kicking off the New Year by exploring what might be either good or bad for platforms in 2026. Regardless of what dear old Oscar might think, I reckon there’s a bit of both to take into account.

Given the events of 2025, three themes in particular spring to my mind. They are the continued rise of artificial intelligence, mounting investor uncertainty and ever-increasing competition.

Let’s rattle through them in turn, identifying some of the potential pros and cons for each. By way of sign-off, we can then remain true to the Wildean ideal by attempting to reach a definitive judgement.

The continued rise of AI

The boom in artificial intelligence suffered a wobble or two last year. There are now escalating fears that artificial intelligence’s (AI) capacity to add value and deliver long-term productivity gains might be less spectacular than originally envisaged.

One of the most fascinating insights of 2025 came from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which published a study that highlighted a 95% failure rate among companies’ generative AI pilots. The knee-jerk conclusion in many quarters was that AI is already a busted flush.

The platform arena offers no exception in this regard. We know AI could be a major difference-maker, but we’re still getting to grips with how to employ it to best effect. 2026 is likely to be a big year on that score.

Mounting investor uncertainty

Most markets performed well in 2025, despite a few dramatic blips. Yet it seems fair to say that building a secure financial future is becoming more complicated, particularly from a planning perspective.

The UK serves as an obvious illustration. The Autumn Budget threatened to derail – or at least re-route – countless financial journeys. Tax shake-ups and other controversial measures are likely to accelerate the brain drain, with thousands of Britons abandoning a country they see as incapable of sufficiently rewarding their hard work.

In a way, of course, this sort of tumult is marvellous news for advisers. After all, the number of people seeking professional guidance is likely to rise amid such uncertainty and disaffectedness.

By extension, it should also be a boon for platforms. We could see a significant broadening of our stakeholders’ demographics – especially in terms of age and wealth – during the next 12 months.

Ever-increasing competition

The platform space is getting ever more crowded. As in any sphere, this kind of organic growth can entail pluses and minuses alike.

On the one hand, competition can reduce costs, foster innovation and raise the overall standard of products and services. Naturally, it also translates into greater choice for consumers.

On the other hand, there must come a point at which the situation spirals into one of oversupply. That’s when we enter “survival of the fittest” territory, the inevitable upshot of which is some market participants going out of business.

Factor in the aforementioned dynamics – tech advances and the prospect of elevated, more diverse demand – and the task of staying ahead of the curve in thrown into even sharper focus. This suggests no platform, however established or popular it might be, can afford to rest on its laurels.

Conclusion

So what do the above considerations ultimately represent? Do they amount to a perfect storm or might they somehow constitute an aligning of the stars? With apologies to Mr Wilde, I must admit it’s tempting to hedge one’s bets.

If pushed, though, I would tumble towards the latter option. I really do believe there’s plenty to be excited about in the wonderful world of platforms right now – although I would add some key caveats in painting a positive picture.

AI can genuinely make all our lives easier, provided we keep humans in the loop and preserve the personal touch. Investor uncertainty can enhance and expand our appeal, provided we make absolutely clear to would-be clients how we can actually help them. And competition can encourage the best to get even better, provided there’s a willingness to acknowledge the importance of aiming ever higher.

As Oscar also observed: “The optimist sees the donut. The pessimist sees the hole.” Well, the donut gets my vote. In my view, on balance, the way ahead is defined by opportunity.

I don’t really listen to podcasts anymore, as it feels like everyone is rolling them out nowadays. But recently, while taking a stroll on the marina at the end of the festive break, I heard one that genuinely stopped me in my tracks. 

Entrepreneur Chris Williamson was making a guest appearance on Diary of a CEO when he asked: “If your life was a movie, what would the audience be screaming at the screen?” In other words, what would they be urging you to do? What would they be imploring you to enhance, change or think again about? 

He followed up by arguing that most people are actually already doing enough – they just don’t give themselves credit for it. This point hit even harder. As I headed back to the office, it struck me how true it is for our industry. 

January always brings the same wave of self‑improvement theatre. Everyone becomes convinced that they’re not achieving enough and need to reinvent themselves. “New Year, new me” declarations, productivity hacks and promises of radical transformation start appearing everywhere. But the truth, as Williamson claims, is that we’re probably doing enough already. 

The same applies to wealth management. We really don’t need another round of new slogans or a fresh batch of “game‑changing” products. We don’t need more noise. We don’t need another revolution. 

Instead, in my view, what we need in 2026 – as in any other year – is transparency and the right infrastructure. We just need the foundations done properly. Here are five reasons why.  

Product isn’t the differentiator anymore – transparency is 

Pretty much everyone in our industry has access to the same global toolkit – ETFs, model portfolios, private markets, multi‑asset funds and so on. The product arms race is over. 

But transparency? It’s still inconsistent, avoided and wrapped in unnecessary layers of complexity. Ultimately, clients just want to know:

• What they’re paying 

• Who they’re paying 

• Why they’re paying 

• When they’re paying 

• How it affects their long‑term outcomes 

Advisers should want to work with platforms that make the answers to these questions obvious. Transparency isn’t a marketing line – it’s a system design choice. 

Cross‑border advice needs cross‑border clarity 

Globally-mobile clients expect multi‑currency, multi‑jurisdictional portfolios. This is particularly the case in a market like Dubai, where I’m based. 

Crucially, they also expect “clean” and honest charging, with no hidden layers, no “bundled” fees and no surprises buried in the small print. This is why modern platforms must show:

• Custody fees 

• Dealing costs 

• FX 

• Adviser fees 

• Platform charges 

• Fund charges 

These need to be clearly separated, easy to understand and defensible. For that to happen, providers must invest in infrastructure that makes transparency the default rather than the exception. 

Regulators shift from product policing to charge policing 

From the UK’s FCA to Dubai’s DFSA, regulators everywhere are increasingly focusing on transparency. They want clarity, evidence and straightforward charging structures. 

Providers therefore find themselves under mounting pressure to respond to some basic yet vital regulatory questions. They’re being asked:

• Are fees transparent? 

• Are they fair value?  

• Are they explained? 

• Are they documented? 

• Are they consistent? 

Products don’t deliver the necessary answers. Infrastructure does.

Advisers want less client friction and fewer awkward conversations 

Many advisers still have to spend far too much of their time explaining opaque fee structures, defending legacy charging models and navigating platforms that hide costs in complexity. 

The industry should have moved on from this by now. What they really want is:

• Clean charging 

• Clear reporting 

• Simple explanations 

• Platforms that support transparency, not undermine it 

These ideals can’t be achieved just by adding more “stuff”. They stem instead from operational simplicity and transparency. 

Clients want clarity, not complexity 

Clients don’t want to feel like they’re being sold to. What they do want is to feel like they’re being treated fairly.  This means there’s no room for complexity – less still uncertainty. Clients expect and have every right to receive:

• Real‑time visibility 

• Multi‑currency clarity 

• Consolidated portfolios 

• Simple, transparent fees 

• Clean, modern reporting 

• A good standard of service 

Again, it’s the right infrastructure that generates the necessary confidence. 

In conclusion…

The job of a platform is in many ways very simple. We take a client’s money, we look after it, and we give it back. 

That’s why this year – and in every other year – the providers most likely to succeed aren’t the ones shouting about what’s new. They’re the ones building transparent, modern infrastructure that advisers trust, regulators respect and clients genuinely value. 

In my view, this is where the real innovation is happening. It’s also where the best platforms’ efforts will always remain focused – year in, year out. 

In this edition, we’re proud to launch our new Meet the Team series, starting with Kelly Bray from our Operations team. It’s an opportunity to shine a light on the individuals whose expertise, commitment and leadership play a vital role in delivering the service our partners rely on.

You’ll also find a thought provoking feature from Linda Johnstone, exploring why clarity is fundamental to building confidence in investing and why our industry must do more to explain not just what investors pay, but what they receive in return. It’s a timely reminder that transparency, simplicity and relevance are at the heart of trust.

In fund management, style labels like “value” or “growth” matter less than one fundamental question: is your portfolio maximising outperformance?

In this Pulse Webinar, Stephen Yiu, CIO of the Blue Whale Growth Fund, outlines how Blue Whale identifies the true quality growth outperformers, companies capable of materially and sustainably beating the market. Stephen shares how his team looks beyond style-box investing to focus on three types of growth:

• Steady Growth – durable businesses like Visa and Mastercard that generate reliable cash flows, with opportunities unlocked by valuation inflection points.
• Recovery Growth – high-quality companies facing temporary headwinds, such as biologics players post-pandemic, which can rebound strongly when conditions normalise.
• Explosive Growth – the rare businesses on the cusp of exponential change, such as Nvidia and European defence leaders, where structural or technological shifts propel revenues dramatically higher.

This framework sets Blue Whale apart, combining rigorous research with a concentrated, high-conviction portfolio to capture sustainable, repeatable outperformance.

What matters, what has changed, and what Advisers should do next.

With 2025 now behind us, markets enter the new year in a more complex and less predictable place. Global growth is uneven, geopolitical and policy risks remain elevated, and rapid advances in AI continue to reshape both markets and portfolios.

It’s an environment that raises more questions than answers, and one where advisers are increasingly expected to separate signal from noise.

In this Pulse webinar with Chris Saunders, Co-Founder at New Horizon Asset Management, as we reflect on the year just gone and look ahead to what really matters for 2026. Together, we’ll explore the questions advisers are already asking:

• Was 2025 a steady grind, or a warning shot for what’s ahead?
• Which calls from last year’s Crystal Ball held up and which assumptions need revisiting?
• Where are the risks clients may be underestimating?
• Is the AI theme maturing, peaking, or still in its early stages?
• How should portfolios be positioned if the unexpected becomes the inevitable?