FN Wealth Management turns one this week. It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a year since we launched our dedicated coverage of the sector.
I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved so far. We’ve broken some of the biggest people moves this year, including Camilla Stowell’s exit from Coutts, a major overhaul at the top of JPMorgan’s private bank in Emea, the resignation of UBS’s UK high net worth boss and Jonathan Leach’s promotion to run Citi’s UK private bank.
Our subscribers have also been treated to exclusive interviews with some of wealth’s biggest names and up and comers, as well as deep dives spanning comeback plans at Julius Baer and St James’s Place, UBS’s growth ambitions in the US and HSBC’s wealth hiring spree.
To mark our one-year anniversary, Financial News is bringing our subscribers a bevy of special content over the coming weeks.
Up first, we’ve got a fresh analysis of how wealth managers are quietly tapping into the private markets boom.
They may have been slow to get out the gate thanks to operational hurdles, which have wedded them to daily-dealing funds. But the rise of new evergreen fund structures, which permit investors to retrieve their money on a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis, is opening up the possibility of broadening exposure to retail investors.
Multiple senior executives at private capital firms told FN that Britain’s biggest wealth managers were ready to start allocating to unlisted investments such as private equity and private credit. Some are months out from launching their own products.
However, this “turning point” for private assets comes as regulators and major investors sound the alarm over a possible mis-selling scandal, fresh off the collapse of First Brands and Tricolor in the US.
If you want to read that, and the rest of our exclusive coverage of the sector, you’ll need to be an FN subscriber. You can request a free trial by emailing licensing@fnlondon.com. You can find our weekly newsletter here too.
What the hell happened?
Next, my colleague Justin Cash and I ask: ‘What the hell happened to Schroders Personal Wealth?’
Documents seen by FN show that the Lloyds Banking Group and Schroders joint venture had lofty ambitions of hitting aggressive profit targets and thought its charging model would see it “capture more margin than any of its peers”.
That did not come to pass, despite significant cross-selling efforts and major tech upgrades.
Speaking of exclusive interviews, FN caught up with ex-Coutts private banking boss Stowell fresh into her new role at Rathbones.
She shared her predictions for wealth management in 2026, her advice for women starting their careers in finance, and her favourite City haunt.
We’ve also got a scoop about a corporate bond push at RBC’s wealth arm, and op-eds on everything from private equity’s pursuit of the sector to the impact of AI and the race for global wealth.
Evelyn Partners sale update
Elsewhere, Evelyn Partners has joined the string of wealth managers jumping on the AI bandwagon.
FN revealed today that Goldman Sachs has been added to the roster of advisers trying to get a sale of the UK wealth giant over the line.
Meanwhile, Citi lost another wealth leader as Hannes Hofmann, the global head of its family office business, departed the Wall Street bank.
To close out, I want to give a huge thank you to all of our newsletter subscribers, who have come along for the ride.
Your feedback and enthusiasm for our wealth management endeavour has meant the world.
Want to read all of our exclusive coverage of the sector? Request a free trial by emailing licensing@fnlondon.com.
Write to Kristen McGachey at kristen.mcgachey@dowjones.com