Research Tree is the largest platform in the UK to cater to both retail and institutional investors, with over 60k investors as its userbase. It also distributes to other venues such as the LSE and Aquis exchanges. It provides the underlying infrastructure for over a dozen Brokers’ own Portals, and it embeds research feed widgets into hundreds of listed company websites.

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November 2023

What are the key areas of focus for you at the moment?

A big focus for us is the Edinburgh Reforms, and most particularly Rachel Kent’s UK Investment Research Review.

There are reforms focussed on reducing the red tape and cost associated with being a listed company. There are reforms aimed at greatly increasing capital and liquidity in the market by incentivising retail investors and pension funds to invest more of their assets in UK equities. And there are reforms that fall very much in our area, namely to increase the quality, balance and accessibility of research for companies of all sizes. The current health of equity markets is not good and it is getting worse. However, these reforms give us the opportunity to reverse that cycle.

Given the eight years of infrastructure we have developed that is squarely focussed on UK small and midcap markets, Research Tree is uniquely placed to be part of the solution.

What are the main issues PLCs should be thinking about now?

PLCs should be putting the work in to understand AI and how it can help their businesses. It isn’t going to be the dystopian vision that many are painting, but it will be the catalyst that drives the next step-change in global productivity. Companies that put the work in and incorporate it into their operations will, in my view, start seeing double digit improvements in productivity and margins. These will be the future winners.

We are allocating a material portion of our weekly development capacity on incorporating AI into our platform. The potential use cases to greatly enhance the user experience and understanding are enormous.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched recently?

Easily the most interesting thing I’ve watched recently is a youtube educator I found for my kids called Epic Spaceman. He makes these stunning videos explaining the Universe and one especially, titled “The mind-blowing scale of The Milky Way”, is well worth five minutes of your time. Apologies for taking a slightly geeky turn there…

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Please note: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the individual financial professional(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Alma Strategic. These insights are provided for informational purposes only and may not be relevant at the time of reading, as market conditions can change rapidly. The information provided should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any financial product or security. Individuals should conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. Alma Strategic disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information provided in this interview.