Financial services software provider Iress has announced the launch of a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing its UK wealth business through integrations with third-party technology providers.

The Iress Partnership will see the software provider choose firms to partner with following a due diligence process that will look to ensure alignment on security, compliance, culture, product philosophy, and long-term commitment.

Iress already supports more than 100 fintech and regtech integrations through its open API programme, Iress Open, but the new partnership will see the firm make a step-change in its approach.

The Iress Partnership will aim to build solutions collaboratively, rather than just enabling interoperability, from initial concept to delivery.

It argued that this new approach would encourage innovation and client flexibility while retaining stability.

Iress stated that while the standard model is for two firms building independently then bolting their products together, the Iress Partnership will focus on joint solution design, shared technical resources, and aligned development priorities.

This will replace the traditional all-in-one model with a curated ecosystem, which will offer clients the flexibility of choice alongside a unified design.

“Most integration programmes stop at connectivity,” said Iress managing director of UK wealth, Alex Hore. “The Iress Partnership goes much further.

“We co-design the solution with our partners, aligning roadmaps, training teams to talk about one joined-up experience, not two separate products. The result is a deeper, more seamless experience for advisers and their clients.

"The Iress Partnership is where we go deep. This is where we say: these are the firms we’ve chosen to align with, to invest in and to shape the future of the platform alongside.

“At the same time, our existing integration model, Iress Open, still allows customers the flexibility to integrate elsewhere if they have a different chosen solution."

PlannerPal, which is an AI-powered platform built for modern financial advice and wealth management workflows, is the first firm to join the Iress Partnership.

Connected through enhanced access to Xplan APIs, PlannerPal seeks to enable adviser firms to automate meeting documentation, validate and update CRM records, and generate structured, compliant reports.

“We are delighted to be the first to join the Iress Partnership,” stated PlannerPal co-founder and CEO, Mark Whitcroft.

“This collaboration unlocks broader access to Xplan’s APIs, enabling a deeper, more intelligent integration of PlannerPal’s award-winning AI-powered platform — ultimately delivering richer insights, streamlined workflows, and measurable outcomes for advisers, firms, and clients.”

Iress said that it expected to onboard no more than four partners a year through the programme, prioritising quality, longevity, and complementarity.

---