The latest news in investment offerings, financial products and other services relevant to wealth advisors and their clients.

Wealthsimple
Canada-based money management platform Wealthsimple has reached C$100 billion ($71.3 billion) in total assets under administration, beating its original goal of hitting that figure by December 2028. And it unveiled a new suite of products in its fall 2025 edition of Wealthsimple Presents: For Nerds Only, a presentation.

More than 220,000 Canadians registered for the live stream, double its June online event, the firm said in a statement this week.

Additions to the product suite include zero-commission options, fractional ownership of physically backed gold, direct indexing, the mutual fund exchange, the Retirement Accelerator, and the Summit Portfolio.

Wealthsimple said a recent survey of 1,000 clients (those with C$50,000+ in investible assets, among those aged 25 to 45) showed that 92 per cent of respondents said they are confident in managing their own investments, and more open to risk, with 69 per cent reporting above-average risk tolerance.

Do-it-yourself investing is becoming mainstream, it said: 67 per cent of those surveyed said taking control of their own investment decisions is the best approach for them, with more than half (55 per cent) saying they have declined advisor recommendations in favor of making independent choices. 

They also think existing business models are a drag: 79 per cent think financial institutions are slow to innovate. Outdated infrastructure, high fees, and slow technology adoption are all cited as barriers to reaching their savings goals. 

“Canadians are increasingly ‘nerding out’ on investment and trading strategies to build their wealth. These are strategies and tools that institutional and wealthy investors have been using for decades,” Tara Kennedy, VP and head of capital markets at Wealthsimple, said. “Today's retail investor is intentional, curious, and motivated. They deserve modern, intuitive tools to maximize the opportunities within capital markets, and the new updates to our platform are designed to ensure those needs are met.”

Examples of upcoming offerings
Wealthsimple said its “Summit portfolio” will be aimed at long-term investors, giving access to private markets with alternative investments such as private equity and private credit.

It is also aiming to deliver 99.99 per cent pure gold Wealthsimple-branded coins, including 500 limited edition 1oz Wealthsimple coins, produced and minted by the Royal Canadian Mint. Physical gold coin redemption will be available starting in November 2025. 

Clients will soon access the currency conversion technique that allows investors to skip high foreign exchange spreads by converting Canadian dollars to US dollars (or vice versa) at competitive rates, it said. The offering will arrive in the first quarter of 2026. 

Other offerings include option strategies, and AI trading features.