The lure of click-to-trade systems

Growing demand from high-net-worth investors for bespoke structured products is leading to smaller deal sizes. As a result, arrangers are planning to increase their use of automated systems to mitigate the costs of delivering and servicing small trades. Michael Marray reports

The fragmentation of the structured products market into thousands of small offerings was a feature of the space even in the boom years leading up to 2007, and the trend has continued into 2010.

It means high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) get an ever-expanding range of risk profiles and underlyings to choose from, but the flipside is the burden it places on financial advisers at private banks, as clients demand more highly tailored products. Five years ago, products were typically launched in