Almost a third of advisers have plans to expand their business in the next six months, either by recruiting additional staff or through mergers or acquisitions, according to research from the Association of Professional Financial Advisers (APFA).
The figures, collected in NMG Consulting's Financial Adviser Census, show that 15% of firms are planning to recruit more advisers, while 19% are looking to recruit or make more use of paraplanners and/or administrators.
In addition, one in ten (9%) are looking to expand through acquisition or merger with another financial advice business.
APFA senior technical adviser Linda Smith said: "The advice industry is going through a period of considerable change, but our research shows that many advisers see this as an opportunity.
"It is encouraging that so many are optimistic about future growth and planning to expand their businesses in some way."
The research found that only 1% of advisers expect to leave the industry within the next six months, while 12% are planning to slim down their business through refocusing or restructuring.
Smith said: "The introduction of the Retail Distribution Review has obviously had a significant impact on advisers. As an industry we have made a lot of progress in a short period of time, and it's good to see that advisers are now starting to look ahead and plan for the future."
