Origo, the UK's financial services industry standards body, is encouraging IFAs to voice their opinions on e-commerce in the life and pensions industry and help shape the development of future services.
Following the success of last year's focus groups, Origo plans to conduct four more throughout the UK in 2004. Robert Reid, former chair of SOFA, Money Marketing columnist and practising IFA, will facilitate the groups. The first of these meetings will be held on 20th January, 2004 at the Hilton Mews, Park Lane, London.
The purpose of the sessions will be to obtain IFA input into the future development of services. A major priority for Origo in 2004 will be developing a blueprint for the industry that maps out how all of the standards link together. In particular discussions will look at administration processes and how to order them in the right sequence.
"IFAs views on this issue are critical," says Paul Pettitt, managing director of Origo. "A great deal of progress was made in 2003. Standards for quotes, new business submission online, commission reconciliation, real-time valuations, bulk data download all now exist. The next step is to link all these initiatives together and make straight through processing a reality for the whole industry."
Origo was launched in June 1989 to facilitate the development of electronic trading between principals and agents for life, pensions and collective investment business.
For more information or to register for the focus groups, IFAs should contact Jane Adams at Origo on 0131 451 5181 or email [email protected].
