Investment, protection and retirement specialist LV= has launched a new platform service for advisers in partnership with Embark.

The platform enables advisers to access LV=’s insured fund options, blended with a choice of 5,000 funds and model portfolios from 70 discretionary fund managers, in a choice of wrappers, including SIPPs and ISAs.

The launch comes after a 12-month testing period with a panel of advisers.

LV= said it chose to design the new platform service to meet the increasing focus Financial Planners are placing on their retirement income advice propositions.

It claims the service will enable advisers to enhance their centralised investment and retirement propositions using LV’s smoothed managed funds.

Gwen Haggo, sales director at LV=, said the launch of LV= Platform Services marks a key milestone in enhancing its adviser digital journey. 

She said: “Our new digital platform enables us to partner and integrate with more adviser firms and offer our Smoothed Managed Fund range to enhance their current centralised investment and retirement propositions.”

LV= said it chose to partner with Embark’s white label platform as it combines FNZ technology with a front-end owned by the firm. This means that advisers using the new platform service will benefit from regular updates and integrations on Embark’s roadmap, including features like drip-feed drawdown, which allows clients to gradually withdraw money from their pension pot, taking smaller, regular amounts while keeping the rest invested to potentially grow over time. This is scheduled for the next major platform enhancement package due for delivery later this year. 

The new LV= platform service has received a ‘Superior’ rating from AKG and a 5 Star Rating from Defaqto.

LV= has undergone a number of changes in over the past year, including finalising its transition of asset management services to Blackrock from previous fund manager Columbia Threadneedle Investments in April 2024.

LV= has suffered uncertainty over a series of botched takeover and merger plans in recent years with, at one point, Royal London and LV=, both mutual providers, discussing merging but later abandoning their plans.

David Hynam, formerly CEO of BUPA's UK and global markets business, was appointed CEO of the provider in September 2022, replacing Mark Hartigan who stepped down as CEO following an aborted takeover of the mutual by investment business Bain Capital.