HALO Technologies accelerates European expansion, appoints CEO of UK subsidiary
Australian fintech HALO Technologies (ASX: HAL) has ramped up its European expansion plans with the appointment of Douglas Boyce as chief executive officer of its UK subsidiary HALO Invest.
Mr Boyce brings more than 30 years’ financial services experience in the UK to the new role, with particular expertise in investment platforms similar to HALO’s offerings.
He was previously managing director with SS&C Hubwise and its advisor investment platform offering business-to-business asset servicing and front-end solutions.
During his five years with SS&C Hubwise, he led the company’s growth in assets under administration from around $930 million to over $35 billion before that business was acquired by NASDAQ-listed SS&C Technologies in 2022.
Prior to joining Hubwise, Mr Boyce was European chief operating officer of FNZ and its global, end-to-end wealth management platform from 2015 to 2018. He was responsible for the asset servicing of over $465 billion supporting firms such as Barclays, Aviva and Santander, among others.
Mr Boyce is also a non-executive director at Investment Tribe, a fintech start-up specialising in tokenised property investment.
Key piece in place
The appointment of a highly-regarded chief executive officer was a key plank in HALO’s strategy when it launched its European expansion plans earlier this year with the acquisition of UK firm Resilient Funds Management, naming it as the perfect vehicle for its entrance into the UK market and opening the door to new UK business-to-business-to-consumer and business-to-consumer customers.
With a strong platform of continued success in the Australian market, HALO believes the Resilient acquisition and Mr Boyce’s appointment leave it well-placed to take its model to the UK as it begins the international expansion of its unique skills and technologies.
UK expansion
“We are very excited to initiate our expansion into the United Kingdom with Doug Boyce at the helm of HALO Invest. He brings a wealth of skills and expertise as well as much needed local knowledge to complement our existing global team,” HALO Technologies chief executive George Paxton said.
The UK move comes in a year when HALO Technologies’ funds under management (FUM) have grown by 101.5% to $417.9 million, while client numbers have grown by 21.6% to 3,617.
The growth in both FUM and client numbers has been driven by a combination of organic client acquisition, equity market performance and consolidation of client accounts onto the HALO platform.
Forward-looking business
“I am delighted to be joining HALO Invest as it establishes itself in the United Kingdom. HALO is a forward-looking business committed to providing a first-class investment experience for all clients by using the best possible technology,” Mr Boyce said.
“I am looking forward to getting out there to demonstrate our proven products and explain our unique value proposition.”
“In the near term, we will be focusing on deepening our existing team with recruitment of the best possible people, refining our product offering and pricing for the UK market and ensuring our technical capability is in place with a view to going live in the New Year,” he added.
Diversified suite of products
HALO Technologies brings sophisticated institutional-grade analytical frameworks and market insights to everyday investors with its online global equities research and trade execution software solutions.
The company’s services include two integrated offerings in HALO Global – designed for hands-on investors who want professional grade tools without the cost – and HALO Trading, which offers global trade execution capability and ready-made thematic investment portfolios that are ideal for ‘low-touch’ investors, ‘values-based’ investors and self-managed superannuation funds.