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Our take: What is driving adviser interest in structured products
As advisers navigate more complex market environments, the demand for investment solutions with clearer outcomes is growing. We are seeing increasing interest from advisers looking to:
- Manage downside risk more deliberately
- Generate attractive income, including as an alternative to bank hybrids
- Tailor asset allocation or specific exposures more precisely
- Broaden the toolkit available to wholesale clients, including through more tax-aware strategies
Stropro recently recorded a 63% year-on-year surge in notional structured product trading in the first quarter of 2026, alongside 45% year-on-year growth in activated advisers on the platform.
SRP (Structured Retail Products) covered the story on 21 April 2026, attributing much of the activity to new adviser onboarding and heightened volatility linked to global macro conditions.
Those numbers are notable. But the more interesting question is what they reflect about the broader direction of the Australian advice market.
Recent market conditions have reinforced something we have been watching build for some time: when volatility rises and uncertainty increases, advisers and investors place greater value on defined outcomes, downside management and efficient yield generation. The Q1 numbers are a signal of that shift, not just a platform milestone.
What is particularly notable is that this growth has not come solely from existing clients doing more of the same. We are also seeing genuine curiosity from advisers who have historically had zero exposure to structured products.
For a long time, structured products in Australia largely sat within niche pockets of the elite private wealth market. As advisers now deal with more complex client needs, more uncertain market conditions and a stronger focus on outcome-based investing, structured solutions are becoming relevant to a broader segment of the advice landscape.
From our perspective, a few things are driving this shift.
1. Volatility is making defined outcomes more relevant
In uncertain markets, advisers are looking for more deliberate ways to manage risk rather than relying solely on traditional long-only exposures. Structured products allow advisers to express a market view while embedding features such as downside buffers, barriers, conditional income or capital protection, depending on the structure.
We are also seeing income-focused structured products used increasingly as an alternative to bank hybrids. For advisers who have historically used bank hybrids to generate yield, structured income solutions can offer comparable or superior income with more transparent risk parameters and a defined maturity.
A Smart-Entry Income Note, for example, allows clients to generate defined income while setting a pre-agreed entry level below current market prices. If markets pull back to that level, the client acquires the asset at a discount. If they do not, the client receives coupons and full capital return at maturity. That kind of clarity is increasingly what advisers and their clients are asking for.
2. Advisers are becoming more open to specialist tools
There is a noticeable increase in engagement from advisers who may not have previously used structured products regularly. In many cases, this starts with education and exploration rather than immediate volume. But it is an important signal that the market is broadening.
For advisers new to the space, the ETFs vs Structured Products comparison is a useful starting point. The two are not interchangeable but they are genuinely complementary, and understanding the difference is where most adviser journeys with structured products begin.
3. Access and infrastructure have improved
Historically, one of the biggest barriers in this segment has been access: to issuers, execution capability, custody solutions, lifecycle reporting and product support. As that infrastructure has improved, advisers are better positioned to incorporate structured solutions into client portfolios in a practical way.
The expansion of Stropro's issuer panel is part of this. A broader panel improves flexibility, product breadth and competitiveness. It also helps advisers access a wider range of structures and exposures depending on the objective they are trying to achieve for clients.
Equally important is platform connectivity. With integrations now live across Netwealth, Mason Stevens and Praemium, advisers can access and manage structured product positions within their existing workflows rather than running them separately. That practical integration is what makes the difference between a product advisers explore and one they actually use at scale. You can see the full range of structured investment solutions and integrations here.
4. This is part of a broader shift in advice
The Australian advice market is becoming more outcome-focused and more open to specialist tools that help advisers build more tailored client solutions. That is not a structured products story specifically. It is a reflection of how the profession is maturing.
As advisers deal with increasingly sophisticated HNW clients, the ability to offer institutional-grade investment infrastructure alongside traditional portfolio management is becoming a real point of differentiation. This includes more tax-aware strategies: structured solutions that help clients access equity market returns while optimising tax outcomes are an increasingly common part of client conversations, particularly for high-net-worth investors with concentrated positions or CGT considerations.
Structured products are an increasingly important part of that toolkit.
This is not about structured products replacing traditional portfolios. It is about giving advisers more tools to solve specific portfolio challenges.
As the Australian advice market continues to evolve, outcome-based investing, greater product precision and better supporting technology will all play a larger role. The recent uplift in activity reflects that shift.
For Stropro, the focus remains the same: helping advisers access institutional-grade structured investment capabilities through the right infrastructure, product access and support. If you would like to explore how structured solutions could fit your client book, book a consultation with our investment desk.
Ben Streater, Chief Investment Officer, Stropro
For wholesale, sophisticated and professional investors only. General information only, not personal financial advice.
