UniFi by CAIA Crossing the Threshold - 16

What ties these offerings together is their go-to-market approach. Rather than being
facilitated by a broker-dealer or wealth advisor, individuals can access the information
they need to make their own investment decisions and execute them at will. Though the
types of products being delivered via these platforms are highly diverse, the platforms that
enable access to them all have several characteristics in common:
* Accessibility and Ease of Use. Each offering in this category can be directly accessed
by individual investors via the internet or their mobile phone. Onboarding and account
activation is done online and is typically completed within a few minutes.
* Lower Minimum Investment Size. Investment minimums are low to allow individuals
to participate. In some of these offerings, investments can be made for as little as
US$1.00. On Vinovest, individuals can have top sommeliers manage a portfolio of
wine on their behalf for as little as US$1,000. On EstateGuru, European investors can
participate in mortgage-backed loans to pre-vetted properties or choose one of 3
managed investment strategies for as little as EUR€1,000.
* Multiple Liquidity Options. There are both liquid and illiquid assets on offer ranging
from cryptocurrencies that are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a
year to Moonfare, a US$2.2 billion AUM platform that enables individuals and their
advisors to invest in select private equity funds and has created a digital secondary
marketplace that allows investors to signal their desire to exit their investment and
then participate in a semi-annual auction process.
In a sense, these new types of digital frontier offerings are becoming alternative
" alternatives " markets. While the retail versions of more traditional alternatives may be
preferred by higher net worth individuals in advised portfolios, the digital frontier assets
offer nearly all retail investors a pathway to diversification in their portfolios.
Navigating these secular trends becomes paramount for investors as seismic growth in
alternative investments reshapes and is reshaped by changes in global capital markets. As
shifts in capital formation and value creation continue to test the important relationship
between public and private markets, the asset management industry will likely continue to
create innovative ways to increase retail investor access.
16 BUILDING A NEW WORLD
UniFi by CAIA Crossing the Threshold

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of UniFi by CAIA Crossing the Threshold
