WIS unveils five-year adviser growth strategy built around AI, administration and wider business support
23 October 2026
WIS Mortgages & Insurance Services has announced a five-year strategy to expand its self-employed adviser community by developing what it describes as a wider business ecosystem around mortgage advisers.
The directly authorised firm says it is not seeking to recreate the traditional mortgage network model.
Instead, WIS intends to combine regulatory infrastructure with AI, mortgage administration, case progression, marketing, lead generation, accountancy and tax expertise, conveyancing relationships and wider business-development support.
Self-employed advisers can operate through appropriate Registered Individual or Appointed Representative arrangements while accessing WIS's central infrastructure.
Removing the work surrounding advice
At the centre of the strategy is WIS's view that mortgage advisers should concentrate primarily on advice, client relationships and business development.
The firm describes this internally as its “90/10 principle”.
This does not suggest 90% of regulated mortgage advice can be automated. Instead, WIS uses the phrase to describe its objective of removing as much of the administrative and operational workload surrounding an adviser as possible.
Ifthikar Mohamed, director of WIS Mortgages, said:
“We believe advisers spend far too much time doing things that do not actually require a mortgage adviser.
“Collecting information, reviewing documents, updating systems, chasing cases, contacting solicitors, speaking to BDMs, checking criteria, communicating with clients and managing marketing can consume an enormous part of the working week.
“Our philosophy is straightforward. Anything technology can safely and effectively do should increasingly be handled by technology. Anything that needs human intervention should be handled by the appropriate support team.
“The adviser should be left with more time for advice, clients and growth.”
Monicio and Mortgage AI Toolkit
Technology will form a significant part of the five-year plan.
WIS recently introduced Monicio, an AI-powered mortgage CRM designed to connect more stages of the mortgage process.
This sits alongside technology developed through Mortgage AI Toolkit, with tools covering areas including mortgage meetings, communication, criteria, document handling, expenditure analysis and other areas of adviser workflow.
Mohamed said:
“The answer isn't to give advisers another collection of disconnected software.
“The value comes when the technology actually removes work.
“We are trying to build an environment where information moves between systems, administration is reduced and the adviser is not constantly re-entering or chasing the same information.”
Human support remains central
WIS said its strategy is not based on AI replacing people.
Central support teams assist advisers with activities including case progression, lender communication, solicitor chasing, BDM liaison, criteria questions and other situations where human involvement is required.
Mohamed added:
“There are things AI simply cannot resolve.
“If a case needs somebody to speak to a lender, contact a BDM, get an update from a solicitor or deal with an unusual scenario, somebody still needs to do that work.
“Our proposition is AI plus people, not AI instead of people.”
Websites, leads and client communication
WIS also provides business-growth support to advisers.
This can include building and developing adviser websites, supporting lead-generation campaigns, producing newsletters and helping advisers maintain regular communication with their existing client banks.
The aim is to allow advisers to develop their own businesses and brands while using WIS infrastructure behind the scenes.
Mohamed continued:
“An adviser doesn't just need somewhere to submit a mortgage.
“They need customers. They need a professional online presence. They need to stay in contact with existing clients. They need marketing, systems and support when case volumes increase.
“If you solve those problems, the adviser has a much better opportunity to build a valuable business.”
Accountancy and tax support
The wider WIS Group was originally established around accountancy.
That capability remains part of the adviser proposition, giving mortgage advisers access to specialist accounting and tax expertise where clients require additional support.
The company believes the crossover is particularly relevant to mortgage customers such as contractors, company directors, landlords and business owners.
Mohamed said:
“We don't expect a mortgage adviser to become an accountant.
“If a client has an accounting or tax question, the advantage of the wider WIS infrastructure is that the adviser can reach out to people who deal with those matters professionally.”
Conveyancing relationships
WIS is also investing in the wider property transaction.
The group works with conveyancing partners and has invested in a conveyancing business, which it says gives the firm the opportunity to build closer working relationships and improve communication around transactions.
Mohamed said:
“One of the biggest frustrations for advisers and clients can be obtaining updates during conveyancing.
“We want stronger communication and more direct relationships between the parties involved rather than an adviser spending significant amounts of time trying to obtain a basic update.
“Again, it comes back to removing friction around the adviser.”
Model already showing results
WIS said the five-year strategy is an expansion of a model it has already been developing for several years.
The company says it has seen advisers significantly increase business volumes after joining, with some approximately doubling their previous levels of activity.
Mohamed said:
“That is probably the biggest reason we are confident about the next five years.
“This isn't something we have designed on a whiteboard and never tested.
“We've seen advisers grow when they have the infrastructure around them.
“The technology and support infrastructure we have now is considerably stronger than it was when we first started developing the model, so we believe the opportunity to scale it is much greater.”
WIS intends to increase adviser numbers during the five-year period, but says it will measure success through adviser productivity and business growth as well as recruitment.
Mohamed concluded:
“We don't simply want to say WIS has more advisers.
“We want advisers joining WIS to become bigger and better businesses.
“If that happens, our growth follows naturally.
“WIS grows when our advisers grow.”
