Pershing integrates third-party tech into NetX360 adviser platform

Pershing announced Wednesday that it is integrating several popular third-party technology applications into its NetX360 platform for advisers. NetX360 will now offer portfolio management and re-balancing solutions from Blaze Portfolio and Portfolio Pathway, as well as Laser App forms management and configuration tools. In addition, NetX360 users will have access to Ebix Smart Office customer relationship management software via a single sign-on. The new integrations reflect efforts by Pershing to use its open-architecture platform to keep customers coming back to NetX360. As advisers become more aware of new applications that make automated processes faster and more efficient, platform providers are riding the third-party integration trend. The new apps add to about 200 integrated solutions that reside on NetX360, said Patrick Yip, director of Advisory Technology Strategy at Pershing. "This gives advisers more choices for running their businesses," he said. "For example, the new rebalancing and trading solutions helps them with straight-through processing of trading so that the adviser is the intermediary." The re-balancing and trading solutions from Blaze Portfolio and Portfolio Pathway will help advisers use NetX360 for equity and mutual fund modeling and re-balancing. Advisers now will be able to import and export re-balancing and trading operation files between these portfolio platforms and NetX360. Formerly, the process was manual. The Laser App integration will help Pershing bring forms management and configuration to its NetX360 account opening tool. Pershing clients will be able to create custom forms branded with their logo, disclosure language, investment objectives and custom data fields. The integration of Ebix's SmartOffice with NetX360 gives users single sign-on access to SmartOffice. The integration offers a fast, secure way to access both applications. Pershing offers solutions to approximately 1,600 financial organizations, broker-dealers, registered investment advisory firms, advisers, fund managers and asset managers who represent more than 5.6 million accounts.