PortfolioHiWay

What PortfolioHiWay does

PortfolioHiWay (legal name: Portfolio HiWay Inc.) is a Canadian CIRO-regulated, CIPF-member full-service digital investment dealer that serves sophisticated investors — family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and institutions — through a combination of a proprietary digital platform and human investment professionals. Founded in 2017 and headquartered at 3037-3080 Yonge St, Toronto, the firm positions itself as one of Canada's first full-service digital investment dealers, filling the gap between retail investment platforms and traditional large-ticket institutional desks by offering institutional-quality access, transparent fees, and digital account management to investors it characterizes as underserved by incumbent models.

The product surface is anchored by a customizable in-house client portal accessible via web and mobile apps on iOS and Android, developed with the related entity Portfolio Xpressway. The portal provides daily reporting on account summary, holdings, transactions, performance, and secure document delivery. Core investment offerings include Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs) built with sub-advisory managers (Canso Investment Counsel, Canoe Financial, Alpha-Lab Investment Management, Frontier Financial), institutional CAD/USD foreign exchange at near-spot rates with no markups, commissions or spreads, and broad market access spanning ETFs, equities, bonds, money market securities, mutual funds, and select private funds. Services encompass discretionary portfolio management, advised accounts, institutional trade execution, custody (carried by National Bank Independent Network), employee savings plan administration, and compliance services for restricted securities.

The business operates on three revenue mechanics: recurring advisory and management fees on managed portfolio assets, transaction-based fees on FX and trade execution routed through NBIN, and managed services revenue on SMA-related sub-advisory relationships. The firm is privately owned and fully independent, with no affiliation to a major Canadian bank or institutional investor, and operates as a domestic-only dealer restricted to Canadian residents. Notable named relationship references include Lysander Funds Limited for trading execution. Leadership comprises a specialist team spanning capital markets, compliance, legal, and portfolio management drawn from RBC, TD Securities, HSBC, Wealthsimple, Canso, and LetkoBrosseau.

Name

PortfolioHiWay

Legal name

Portfolio HiWay Inc.

Website

https://portfoliohiway.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PortfolioHiWay is a Canadian CIRO-regulated full-service digital investment dealer serving family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and institutions through a proprietary web and mobile platform combined with human advisors, offering SMAs, trade execution, custody, and CAD/USD FX services to underserved sophisticated investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management / Investment Dealer Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Retail Brokerage & Wealth Platforms (FSAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Banking Advisory & Discretionary Portfolio Management (FSABADAD), Discretionary Portfolio Management (Retail) (FSAAAAAH)

Keywords

• Digital investment dealer
• Wealth management platform
• Separately managed accounts
• Portfolio management services
• Institutional FX services

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond Hill

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Management Fees: Fee-based revenue model providing portfolio management and advisory services to clients. The company maintains a transparent fee structure traditionally reserved for large Canadian institutions.
2. Trade Execution Services: Institutional trade execution for clients of all sizes with no additional fees, commissions, or trading costs. Revenue generated from institutional FX between CAD and USD with no markups, commissions, spread or additional fees.
3. Separately Managed Account (SMA) Services: Services related to SMAs where clients hold actual equities and bonds directly rather than units representing partial ownership. Sub-advisory arrangements with partners for various investment strategies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

PortfolioHiWay is a full-service digital investment dealer that serves family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and institutions in Canada through a proprietary digital investment platform. It delivers Separately Managed Accounts, institutional CAD/USD Foreign Exchange, Broad Market Access to ETFs, equities, bonds, mutual funds and select private funds, and a Customizable Client Portal available on web, iOS and Android. The firm combines this platform with discretionary portfolio management, advisory, trade execution, custody, and compliance services, with custody provided through National Bank Independent Network.

Product overview

PortfolioHiWay is a full-service digital investment dealer with a proprietary platform offering a curated lineup of products and services. The core offering centers on the Customizable Client Portal (web and mobile app), complemented by Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs), Foreign Exchange services (CAD/USD institutional rates), and Broad Market Access (ETFs, equities, bonds, mutual funds, private funds). Services include Portfolio Management (discretionary), Advisory Services, Trade Execution, Custody Services (via National Bank Independent Network), Employee Savings Plans, and Compliance Services. The platform is designed for sophisticated investors including family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and institutions, combining digital access with human investment professional oversight.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Separately Managed Accounts (SMA) SMAs that allow clients to hold individual equities and bonds directly rather than units in commingled funds, providing more control over taxes and individual position transactions.
• Foreign Exchange (CAD/USD) Institutional foreign exchange service between Canadian and US dollars offered at close to spot rates with no markups, commissions, spreads, or additional fees.
• Broad Market Access Access to thousands of ETFs, equities, bonds, money market securities, mutual funds, and select private funds combinable into diversified portfolios.
• Customizable Client Portal In-house client portal built with Portfolio Xpressway offering daily reporting on account summary, holdings, transactions, performance, and secure document delivery, accessible via desktop and mobile app.
• Portfolio Management Services Fully discretionary portfolio oversight where investment professionals execute strategies without ongoing client approvals, providing professional portfolio manager supervision.
• Advisory Services Direct access to investment professionals providing tailored recommendations based on client goals while clients retain decision-making control.
• Trade Execution Services Institutional trade execution for clients of all sizes with no additional fees, commissions, or trading costs.
• Custody Services Secure custodial services delivered through National Bank Independent Network including tax reporting and Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) coverage.
• Employee Savings Plans Custody and administration of Employee Savings Plans and RRSP Matching Programs, with access to advisory services and the secure client portal.
• Compliance Services Custody and trading restriction services for restricted securities with customizable terms to manage beneficial ownership limitations.

Quantifiable outcome

• CAD/USD exchange rate savings of $1,325 on $250,000 USD transaction compared to retail rates

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Canso Investment Counsel Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated entity and key sub-advisory partner for Separately Managed Accounts. Provides Government Bond strategies (CAD and USD), Corporate Bond strategies, and Canadian Dividend Equity strategies for PortfolioHiWay clients.
• Canoe Financial LPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading independent Canadian investment manager sub-advising the Canoe-PortfolioHiWay Canadian Equity SMA strategy. Uses bottom-up, fundamentals-first approach for long-term capital growth in large-cap Canadian companies and select small/mid-cap opportunities.
• Alpha-Lab Investment Management Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSub-advisory partner for US Equity strategy, providing PortfolioHiWay clients with direct access to equities listed on US exchanges meeting strict inclusion criteria including growth hurdles, competitive advantage analysis, and attractive relative valuation.
• Frontier Financial Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSub-advisory partner for Global ETF Portfolios, offering top-down asset allocation portfolios combining passive low-cost global ETFs with active fixed income management for clients preferring passive investment approaches.
• Portfolio XpresswaycoreTechnology or IntegrationRelated company that developed the in-house client portal in partnership with PortfolioHiWay. The portal offers daily reporting on account summary, holdings, transactions, performance, and secure document delivery. Available on desktop and mobile app.
• National Bank Independent NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarrying broker (courtier chargé des comptes) providing custody services in partnership with PortfolioHiWay. Offers secure custodial services including tax reporting and Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) protection.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Qtrade: Canadian online brokerage owned by Aviso Wealth. Comparable as a CIRO-regulated investment dealer offering self-directed investing, managed portfolios, and institutional-style services to Canadian investors.
• Scotia iTRADE: Scotiabank's online discount brokerage and advised investing platform. Comparable as a Canadian dealer offering self-directed trading, managed solutions, and institutional research access to retail and HNW segments.
• Questrade: Canadian self-directed online brokerage and recently launched Questwealth managed portfolios. Comparable as a Canadian investment dealer offering trade execution, custody, and account services to self-directed and advised clients.
• CI Direct Investing: Canadian online brokerage arm of CI Financial (now CI Global Asset Management). Comparable as a discount/full-service hybrid dealer offering self-directed trading and managed solutions in the Canadian market.
• Wealthsimple: Canada's largest digital wealth management platform offering self-directed investing, managed portfolios, and advisory services. Directly comparable as a Canadian digital-first investment platform serving retail through HNW segments, where PortfolioHiWay's CCO previously held a senior role.
• BMO SmartFolio: Bank of Montreal's robo-advisor managed portfolio service. Comparable as a Canadian digital portfolio management offering competing for the same mass-affluent and HNW digital-adopter segment.
• Justwealth: Canadian digital wealth management platform offering low-fee managed portfolios, ETFs, and GIC products. Comparable as a Canadian CIRO-regulated digital portfolio manager targeting fee-sensitive retail and HNW clients.

Broad incumbents

• RBC: Canada's largest bank with dominant wealth management and capital markets franchises; PortfolioHiWay's President Bill Tabin spent 25+ years there. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering institutional-style wealth services that PortfolioHiWay positions against with a transparent-fee digital model.
• National Bank of Canada: One of Canada's largest banks and PortfolioHiWay's carrying broker partner through NBIN. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering full-service wealth management, custody, and capital markets services that overlap with PortfolioHiWay's HNW and family-office value proposition.
• TD Direct Investing: TD Bank's self-directed and advised investing platform; PortfolioHiWay's Vice Chair Brad Meiers rose through TD Securities' trading and syndication businesses. Comparable as a broad incumbent broker serving sophisticated retail and HNW clients in Canada.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portfoliohiway

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PortfolioHiWay