APA Financial Services was established in 1992 by a group of accountants, stockbrokers, merchant bankers and funds managers. These individuals combined their knowledge and experiences to produce a unique and innovate system which has been invaluable to professionals within the financial sector.
APA's founding members identified an opportunity to develop and market a service which would overcome the limitations of existing platforms, catering for firms that could not practically operate an in-house portfolio administration/management service.
The introduction of SMART Portfolio Solutions and its associated services means that financial advisers no longer have to dedicate back office staff to administrative duties. APA does all administrative work, saving financial planners and their staff time and effort, allowing them to commit resources to other aspects of their clients' portfolios.
Although initially aimed at advisers, accountants and institutions that serviced high net worth individuals and families, the system now has wider applications, servicing institutional business too.
These wider applications reflect the increasing wealth and sophistication of Australian investors since the early nineties. They also mirror APA's strategy of continued improvement, which has resulted in the system delivering an increased range of solutions.
In 1997 APA commenced the development of an Internet module to facilitate the electronic transfer of portfolio administration/management services data to advisers. This significant development means that today, advisers and their clients are able to access up to date investment information securely via a fully badged web site.
In June 2006 APA was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, reflecting APA's continued growth and advancement within the financial sector.