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Winners revealed for technology categories in SMSF Awards

By sreporter
19 August 2020 — 3 minute read

SMSF Adviser has now revealed the winners for SMSF software provider and platform provider in the SMSF Awards this year.

BGL has won the award for SMSF software provider for the third time in a row, while Macquarie Wrap has taken out the award for platform provider this year. The remaining winners will be announced later this week.

SMSF Awards 2020

It has been another tumultuous year for the SMSF sector, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn impacting everything from investment to compliance. The ATO and the SMSF sector in general has worked tirelessly to address some of the unforeseen issues arising from the current environment. As always, SMSF professionals and their clients have relied heavily on SMSF service providers to guide them through this period of change. Partnering with firms that are adaptable and agile is critical at the moment and has a direct impact on the confidence and satisfaction of clients. 

Now in its seventh year, the SMSF Awards recognises the excellence and innovation of the best performing operators servicing SMSF professionals. The winners are based on a survey which was distributed to SMSF Adviser’s database of SMSF professionals. The results were collated and determined by an independent analyst.   

SMSF SOFTWARE PROVIDER WINNER: BGL

Highly commended: Class

With the impact of COVID-19 requiring reviews of investments and changes to strategies, having access to timely information on assets and balances and being able to execute changes quickly is essential. SMSF software plays a critical role in this for SMSF professionals. With the advancement of SMSF software in recent years removing more and more manual processing, it has also given advisers and accountants more time to assist their SMSF clients with critical decisions in this volatile environment. This year’s winner, BGL, has made significant leaps in the areas of artificial intelligence and deep learning.

Ron Lesh, managing director, BGL

We’re thrilled of being recognised by Momentum Media as the SMSF Software Provider of the Year — for the third year in a row! This is recognition for all the effort put in by each member of the BGL Team and the continued support of our clients — we’re immensely grateful for each and every one of you.

Established in 1983 as a consulting firm to assist accountants and small businesses to gain more value from their computer systems, BGL has evolved to become Australia’s #1 provider of SMSF administration and ASIC corporate compliance management software solutions — CAS 360 and Simple Fund 360 — providing remarkable customer experience to over 8,000 clients in 15 countries.

We believe the key to success relies on commitment, focus, team and technology. With clients at the forefront of our business strategy, we are committed to combining a unique, first-class customer experience with innovative technology solutions to help our clients automate processes and succeed.

Clients today are looking for zero-touch SMSF processing so they can focus on what really matters — their clients. BGL is getting closer and closer each day to this level of automation through the use of artificial intelligence and deep learning. We developed the world’s first AI processing assistant and the first deep learning transaction review/matching process for the SMSF software industry. As a result, our clients can work faster, smarter and with more accuracy! Recently, we have released BGL SmartDocs, an intelligent document reader able to quickly turn paper documents into data in seconds! And our innovations don’t stop there. With a significant number of proprietary technologies, our applications are by far the most technically advanced in the industry.

We see the future as a world of opportunities. Our focus will always be on improving automation, supporting our clients, providing an excellent customer experience and expanding the BGL ecosystem.

PLATFORM PROVIDER WINNER: MACQUARIE

Highly commended: BT Wrap

With many working remotely in the current environment, finding an efficient digital solution for managing portfolios and advice documentation is incredibly important. Macquarie, the winner of this year’s award, says that being able to innovate quickly and listen to the needs of advisers are vital parts of providing an exceptional platform service.

Michelle Weber, head of wealth product and technology, Macquarie

We’re delighted that Macquarie Wrap has been recognised with the Platform Provider award at this year’s SMSF Awards.

With Macquarie Wrap, we’re focused on providing a platform that is based on innovation and increased efficiencies. We’re constantly in conversation with advisers so that we understand their needs and the ways in which we can evolve our platform to help them best serve their clients.

For example, we recently launched our Digital Portfolio Manager, an automated advice tool which provides investment recommendations, advice documentation and portfolio implementation digitally, saving advisers and their clients significant time and resources while ensuring they are working within a compliant framework when addressing their clients’ needs.

As we’ve seen in recent times, technology and the accelerated digitisation of processes across industries has become crucial, and the platform market is no different. We’re in a unique position where we’re able to combine the experience and scale of an established platform provider and the ability to innovate quickly using the leading digital banking technology we’ve invested in over recent years to benefit advisers and clients alike.

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