Barclays Wealth has launched a product development panel – comprised of 70 IFAs – to consult on new product ideas and developments for investors seeking protected investments.

The panel’s members, who are based throughout the UK, will be consulted at various stages in the development of Barclays Wealth’s investment products and will be asked to give feedback on investment periods, payoff types, underlying indices or assets and protection levels. The panel will also assist with enhancements being made to existing products, as well as contributing their views on wider product issues.

“IFAs are extremely important to our business and it is crucial that we continue to develop products which they - and their clients - really need. The panel will formalise the way in which we currently seek feedback from advisers and will ensure our range remains in tune with market requirements: this will be particularly important as structured products assume an increasingly prominent role in investors’ portfolios in the years ahead,” said Colin Dickie, director, Barclays Wealth.

As part of its drive towards enhanced engagement with the IFA community, Barclays Wealth has also recently launched  The Role of Structured Products in Portfolio Planning, a guide which encourages advisors to maximise the potential of protected investments in their clients’ portfolios.

Barclays Wealth has been targeting the more cautious investor by launching or reissuing a number of protected investment products, including its Minimum Return, Protected FTSE and Target Growth plans.