By: ensombl

Australian financial planning networking application Ensombl officially launched its South African presence last week, bringing together financial planners and industry leaders at an event in Cape Town.

More than 60 guests attended the event, including local planners, Behavioural Finance expert Dr Gizelle Willows, and Kirsty Scully, Chair of South Africa’s Financial Planning Institute.

The centrepiece of the event was a panel session, hosted by Louis van der Merwe, Director of financial planning practice WealthUp, and also featuring Ensombl’s Chief Product Officer, Emily Jenkins, who flew in from Australia to attend.

Van der Merwe is also the host of the Ensombl Advice South Africa podcast, which, since launching in early 2020, has been downloaded more than 16,000 times, spanning more than 100 episodes.

Ensombl’s goal in launching a South African version of its planner platform is consistent with the ethos that has underpinned its growth in Australia – to drive the positive evolution of financial advice.

In Australia, the Ensombl community has grown to represent more than one in three financial planners, with its platform being the conduit through which geographically spread financial planners can come together to connect, learn, and share.

The unique nature of the event, and the immediate embracing of the platform by South African planners also drove strong interest from corporate sponsors, and Ensombl is proud to have partnered with PortfolioMetrix, Asset-Map, Commspace and Allan Gray in bringing the event to life.

Commenting on the launch, van der Merwe said attendee feedback made it clear the event was truly the first of its kind in Cape Town.

“Ensombl’s South African advice podcast, borne out Covid, provided an important channel of connection for planners during a time of extended lockdowns.

“The ability to now connect in person and through a dedicated platform is a natural extension of that, and we are confident South African planners will embrace the Ensombl community.

Clayton Daniel, Ensombl’s Chief Executive Officer, said the launch represented the first time the Ensombl platform concept has been taken to an international audience.

“Professionals find it easier to ask other experts rather than finding information in a textbook. This has been proven true in Australia, and now in South Africa. Our expectations is this trend will continue across Sao Paulo, London, and New York.

“While local advice variations do exist due to regulatory environments, there are many elements of advice that are global in nature. We believe regardless of the legal frameworks, connecting professional advisors together to share and learn can only drive the positive evolution of financial advice on a global scale.”