Royal Bank of Canada expects to gain more market share in the U.K. wealth management business in the years ahead, with its technological capabilities key to attracting clients.
Canada's largest bank recently completed its 1.6 billion-pound ($1.8 billion) acquisition of Brewin Dolphin Holdings, vaulting its wealth management operation to the No. 3 spot in the U.K. and Ireland.
Still, the industry in the U.K. remains "very fragmented" with "lots of market share up for grabs," said Doug Guzman, head of Royal Bank's wealth management, insurance and investor, and treasury-services businesses.
"The U.K. business is only partway along the modernization path that North America is," Guzman said in an interview last week. "There's lots more work to do on digital, there's lots more work to do integrating banking products in the interests of clients. That will serve as a consolidating force over time, which we think serves to our benefit."
The bank will keep its focus on its three main geographies of Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., with less emphasis on continental Europe, he said.
Royal Bank, which says its wealth business is ranked sixth in the U.S. by assets under administration, also sees market share available there, Guzman said. The firm's plan in the U.S. includes increasing its advisor base and adding new capabilities such as a system that the bank added in recent years to let clients borrow against their investment portfolios with a few clicks.
"The biggest in the industry are really, really big," Guzman said. "So we don't see ourselves getting to one, two or three. But we've had good success in the U.S. adding products."
— With assistance from Layan Odeh.
