Betashares launches new investing platform Betashares Direct

A top Australian exchange-traded fund manager is launching a low-cost retail investing platform focused on long-term wealth creation.

One of Australia’s largest exchange-traded fund managers, Betashares, is taking its innovative success to the next level with a new investing platform.

The new platform – Betashares Direct – allows self-directed retail investors to invest in any ETF traded on the ASX – whether from Betashares or other ETF managers – with zero brokerage.

Using its “Autopilot” function, investors can also automate their investing by setting up recurring investments, investing in professionally constructed diversified portfolios, and building bespoke custom ETF portfolios, all with low portfolio fees.

Underpinned by Betashares’ bespoke proprietary technology, built in-house by its engineering and product teams, the platform has been developed to make investing as effortless as possible.

It offers streamlined, personalised performance and tax reporting to make investments simple to administer and manage, and gives access to Betashares’ expert-led investing insights and educational materials to assist investors to make informed wealth creation decisions.

Betashares plans to add tools and functionality to allow investors at all stages of their investment journey to build robust and well-constructed portfolios.

It will also add financial-adviser specific features to the platform, including a referral program to link investors with more complex needs to financial advisers.

The announcement comes after the fund manager last month announced that it had agreed to acquire Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s superannuation business.

The two initiatives are complementary components of Betashares’ long term strategy of expansion into the broader financial services sector, according to chief executive Alex Vynokur.

“The launch of Betashares Direct is another important milestone for us,” he said.

“We are proud to bring genuine innovation and choice to Australian investors, assisting them in making informed investment decisions and helping them reach their wealth creation goals.”

Since its inception 12 years ago, Betashares has grown rapidly to manage over $30bn of assets for over a million clients and their advisers.

“As the next step in our journey, we are excited to introduce this innovative investment platform, which will allow us to add significantly more value to Australian investors,” Mr Vynokur said.

“Betashares Direct has been meticulously built based on our experience and understanding of Australian investors, and we believe it will play a meaningful role in enabling Australian investors to progress on their financial goals.”

The platform aligns with his mission to democratise investing for Australians by expanding choice, reducing costs, and improving investor education.

“We expect Betashares Direct to add value to Australian financial advisers, who continue to be a core focus of our business,” Mr Vynokur added.

“We are actively exploring the development of adviser-specific features for the platform, as well as a referral program, which will be added in the future.”

Betashares Direct opens for early access on Wednesday with its initial features.