Octopus Investments has launched Online Service Portal for VCTs, which will enable Octopus’ investors and advisers to check their VCT investments through a secure web portal for the first time.
The portal will also enable investors holding multiple investments with Octopus to monitor their Octopus portfolio of products through one single secure site.
The portal includes a number of pages designed specifically with the needs of the investor or adviser in mind. Investors can obtain a consolidated view of all their investments and their current valuation alongside a full transaction and dividend history, while advisers are now able to manage multiple clients’ VCTs in one view, allowing them more time to focus on their customers’ needs.
“VCTs are playing an increasingly important role for investors as part of a diversified portfolio of investments,” says Mike Piddock, business line manager for VCTs at Octopus. “Investors are starting to look for the same level of online support from their VCT manager that they receive from their online bank, and that is why we are so pleased that we can now offer them access to this comprehensive tool. Not only will it make it easier for investors to understand and manage their VCTs and the relative tax benefits, it will also be a valuable asset to advisers in managing their clients’ portfolios. This launch means that, for the first time, we can offer investors and clients a single sign-in to view all of their Octopus products. As well as managing their money, our job is to communicate what we are doing to our clients – both advisers and investors – and the portal is a step change in how we do that online.”
Octopus, which currently manages over GBP3bn of funds of behalf of more than 50,000 UK investors, is the largest provider of VCTs in the UK. With a focus on smaller company investing, Octopus has backed the likes of Graze.com and Secret Escapes through its VCTs, as well as a host of AIM-listed companies. Octopus currently has more than 18,000 VCT investors, who have made over 38,000 VCT investments, and works closely with more than 4,000 financial advisers.
Earlier this month, Octopus launched a GBP50m fundraising across its range of Titan VCTs, giving investors exposure to a diverse portfolio of high-growth early stage businesses. The current portfolio encompasses Zoopla Property Group, which powers the online property portals Zoopla and Prime Location, TouchType, a leader in the development of text prediction technology, and YPlan, the world’s first mobile-only event booking app.
