Fintel plc (LON:FNTL), a provider of technology, data and business support services to the UK retail financial services sector, today announced that Plannr, the core of Fintel’s Unity proposition, and next-generation operating system for financial advice businesses, has been selected as the central technology partner for The Openwork Partnership’s modern technology transformation program.

The partnership will see Plannr provide the central CRM and adviser operating system underpinning Openwork’s new technology suite, supporting its ambition to deliver one of the most advanced, connected, and intuitive technology experiences in UK financial advice. Alongside Plannr, Mortgage Brain, acquired by Fintel last month, will power mortgage sourcing via a deep integration, providing Openwork advisers with a unified solution.

The Openwork Partnership is one of the UK’s largest financial advice networks, supporting nearly 5,000 advisers across more than 800 firms, including Openwork, 2plan and Owl Financial.

Its technology transformation program brings together leading technology providers through a best-of-breed approach, with Plannr and Seccl providing the foundation for a connected ecosystem of adviser technology, incorporating more than 100 additional technology providers.

At the heart of the transformation is a shared ambition to simplify the advice journey, reduce administrative complexity and give advisers more time to focus on their clients.

Plannr’s modern, API-first architecture provides a flexible foundation for connecting technology providers, automating workflows and bringing together the data and processes that underpin financial advice.

The solution is designed to support advisers, paraplanners, administrators and business owners across mortgage, wealth and protection advice.

By unifying traditionally fragmented systems and processes, the partnership aims to deliver a more intuitive and efficient experience, with information captured once and made available throughout the advice journey.

Openwork anticipates that the new technology suite will save advisers up to 60 minutes per client case, supported by unified advice journeys, configurable workflows and reduced duplication of data entry.

The programme will also introduce enhanced client engagement capabilities, automated controls and opportunities to leverage artificial intelligence to improve productivity, operational efficiency and client outcomes.

Rob Barker, CEO of The Openwork Partnership, commented:

“Openwork’s new tech will be comfortably the best on the market. It’s holistic, with one suite for mortgage, wealth and protection needs – so no more swivel-chairing, re-keying, or working on multiple systems for a single client. It helps principals grow their own businesses, with their own brand and deep client relationships. It’s fully future-proof – we can plug in AI tools from any provider as they’re released. This tech is purpose-built – it’s not retrofitted on to an enterprise sales platform. And it’s designed from the start, tested and refined with advisers, paraplanners and their teams at the heart of all we do – as you’d expect from a network majority-owned by its members.”

Rob Askham, Chief Commercial Officer, The Openwork Partnership, added:

“Our ambition has been to create a technology experience that genuinely transforms how our advisers and their teams work. Plannr’s modern architecture, flexibility and approach to integration make it an important foundation of that vision.

“By bringing together best-of-breed technology around a connected adviser experience, we’re creating something that we believe will set a new benchmark for financial advice technology in the UK.”

Matt Timmins, CEO of Fintel, commented:

“We are thrilled to be working with The Openwork Partnership, turning our shared ambition to simplify the advice journey, reduce administrative complexity, and give advisers more time to focus on their clients into a reality. This is a seminal moment for Fintel and a tremendous endorsement of Plannr, Mortgage Brain, and our core drive to unify technology applications to deliver the best client experiences and create real efficiencies for adviser businesses. Our vision is for advisers to have access to modern, connected technology that adapts to the way they work, rather than forcing them to work around the limitations of legacy systems. We own all of the software applications that advisers need to help them provide a first class service to their clients. The unification of these systems into a single operating model, augmented by AI technology, is the future of financial advice.

We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Openwork as the scale of their ambition will lead the market. Together, Fintel and Openwork are reimagining how technology will support the entire advice journey, connecting people, processes and providers to create a genuinely better experience.”

Gareth Thompson, CTO of Plannr, commented:

“One of the biggest challenges facing financial advice businesses is the complexity created by disconnected systems, fragmented data and manual processes.

Our approach has always been to build technology that removes that complexity rather than adding to it.

Plannr’s architecture is designed around openness, flexibility and interoperability. That means we can bring together multiple technology providers, connect data and automate processes while delivering a consistent experience for the people using the system every day. This is the reason Fintel invested in Plannr and made us core to the Unity proposition.

The Openwork programme is an opportunity to demonstrate what that architecture can achieve at enterprise scale, combining deep integration, intelligent automation and a platform designed to evolve as technology and adviser requirements change”

The partnership represents an important milestone in Plannr’s continued development as a technology partner to financial advice businesses of all sizes, from individual advisers and growing firms through to national advice organisations and networks.

As the financial advice sector continues to evolve, the need for connected technology, greater operational efficiency and more intelligent use of data is becoming increasingly important.

By combining enterprise-scale capabilities with the flexibility and usability expected from modern software, Plannr aims to help advice businesses reduce operational friction, improve productivity and deliver better experiences for their clients.