Category Archives: AltsTech

Infinity Financial Deploys on the Alternative Investment Exchange (AIX) Platform

AIX, AltsTech, AltsTech Announcements

Infinity Financial Deploys on the Alternative Investment Exchange (AIX) Platform

October 11, 2022 | AIX

Alternative Investment Exchange (AIX), the platform making it easy to buy, own, and sell alternative investments, announced that Infinity Financial Services (“Infinity”) is now live on AIX’s alternative investment platform. As an independent broker dealer dedicated to building a robust alternative investment platform for high-net-worth advisors, Infinity’s debut is a testament to the fast, powerful, and intuitive alt investment environment AIX supports.

Infinity sets the bar in providing tech-enabled solutions to financial advisors who allocate alts into their clients’ portfolios. Infinity optimizes functionality that is essential to advisor success such as ease of use, operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity, among other concerns.

Infinity has constantly challenged historical practices in the name of creating better experiences for their financial advisors and clients – all while enhancing compliance. One innovative aspect of their strategic practice has been to introduce a re-factored pre-trade approval workflow. Traditionally, an advisor recommending a new alternative investment to a client generally completes documentation, gathers client signatures, and forwards paperwork to compliance for review. In situations where compliance does not approve an investment request, advisors must explain to their client and start anew.

Recognizing the client exposure inherent in this process, Infinity turned to AIX to facilitate a pre-trade compliance approval process. In Infinity’s reimagined process, essential information is provided to the compliance team for pre-approval and advisors only propose the investment to their client after receiving supervision consent – avoiding uncomfortable client conversations centered upon re-work.

“We continuously strive to improve the experience of our advisors and their clients. With AIX, we have been able to supercharge efficiency and radically improve alt investment processes,” explained Greg Gilbert, President, CEO, and CCO of Infinity Financial Services. “Our automated pre-trade compliance workflow is just one example of the innovative approaches we offer advisors and is a testament to the capabilities that can be powered by the AIX platform.”

Infinity was founded by Greg Gilbert in 2007 to offer a breadth of services and dynamic culture that independent financial advisors would appreciate. The firm’s advisor practice management services offer an array of asset management, brokerage, insurance, financial planning, benefit plans, insurance, and risk management services. Today, Infinity transacts nearly $350 million annually in alternative investments for its clients.

“Greg and his team have established a state-of-the-art alt investment environment that supports and attracts sophisticated advisors looking to serve the best interests of their clients,” added Brad West, AIX COO. “Infinity leverages the AIX platform as a competitive advantage that ensures its financial advisors can apply their time and focus to revenue-generating activities. This is best for Infinity, best for their advisors, and best for their clients.”

Both AIX (booth #34) and Infinity are exhibiting at this week’s 2022 ADISA Annual Conference & Trade Show at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

About AIX:

Alternative Investment Exchange (AIX) is an end-to-end digital platform purpose-built to improve the processes related to buying, owning, and selling alternative investments. AIX’s technology reduces friction, mitigates risk, and creates value across all alternative investing stakeholder groups – wealth managers, asset managers, custodians, transfer agents, and fund administrators. By evolving beyond documents to make data the connective tissue between alternative investment players, AIX makes it easier to conduct business and accelerate industry growth. For more information, please visit aixplatform.com or LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/aix-alternative-investment-exchange.

AIX Media Contact:

Mark Tordik
Broadpath for Alternative Investment Exchange (AIX)
215-644-6503
mtordik@broadpathpr.com

Peachtree Joins the Alternative Investment Exchange Platform

AIX, AltsTech, AltsTech Announcements

Peachtree Joins the Alternative Investment Exchange Platform

October 6, 2022 | AIX

Peachtree Hotel Group (“Peachtree”) has selected the Alternative Investment Exchange’s AIX Platform as the primary electronic platform provider to streamline the investment processes for its independent broker-dealer and registered investment advisor partners.

This enterprise technology allows Peachtree to confirm its client’s product structures, workflows and technologies. The AIX platform will facilitate front-end engagement by providing solutions such as digital subscription documents and moving those documents through the pipeline to the custodians and clearing firms.

“At Peachtree, we’re committed to delivering an elevated experience for our advisors,” explained Jessica Correnti, director, national accounts at Peachtree. “AIX supports these objectives by making the investment process straightforward and seamless. It takes powerful technology to make it this easy for advisors to add alts to their clients’ investment portfolios.”

About Peachtree Group

Peachtree is a private equity investment, asset and fund management firm focusing on opportunistically deploying capital across its distinct operating and real estate divisions, including hospitality, commercial real estate lending, residential development, capital markets and media. Since its founding in 2008, the company has completed hundreds of real estate investments valued at more than $7.8 billion in total market capitalization and currently has $1.9 billion in equity under management. For more information, visit www.peachtreegroup.com.

Contact:

Charles Talbert
678-823-7683
ctalbert@peachtreehotelgroup.com

 

CAIS Hires Advisor I/O’s Alex Cavalieri as Director of Marketing Operations

AltsTech, AltsTech Announcements, CAIS

CAIS Hires Advisor I/O’s Alex Cavalieri as Director of Marketing Operations

October 4, 2022 | Diana Britton | WealthManagement.com

Alex Cavalieri, the co-founder and former head of strategy at Advisor I/O (formerly Seven Group), has left the financial advisor marketing platform to join CAIS, as director of marketing operations.

Cavalieri is best known for building Seven Group, the marketing, practice management and content platform, which launched in 2020. The company was acquired by CION Investments Group, an alternative investment solutions platform, in July 2022, and rebranded as Advisor I/O. He was also the host of the popular “Advisor Lab” podcast.

“The team that worked alongside Alex and us to build, launch and grow Advisor I/O over the past three years is continuing to execute our mission of helping advisors scale their marketing efforts in a digital world,” said Michael A. Reisner, co-CEO of CION, in an emailed statement. “In the current environment of market volatility, lower asset values and uncertainty about the future, marketing is even more critical to advisors. We see Advisor I/O as a key element of our commitment to the advisor community.”

In his new role at CAIS, Cavalieri will oversee content, digital and project management, reporting directly to Abby Salameh, who was brought on last November as CMO. He’ll be helping Salameh build on the work she and her team have done over the last year.  

“We had very strong alignment very quickly as it relates to what she foresees is the vision of not only the marketing organization, but the CAIS brand and where the platform is going,” Cavalieri said. “I’m going to help build out what we’re doing from a content and digital perspective—scaling out our processes, from a technology standpoint, automation standpoint and then also how we’re building out our content ecosystem.”

One of his tasks is to build on the digital engagement of CAIS’s educational platform, CAIS IQ, which helps advisors prepare to talk to clients about alternatives.

“You look at the alts space—to the end investor it’s still fairly new from a mass audience standpoint, relative to the market and every other asset class,” he said.

He’ll also be working on how the marketing organization can better utilize data that’s feeding into different parts of the company.

“There are a few data initiatives that we’ve identified and that we can start to tackle, and that’s everything from your traditional dashboarding of marketing activities and different things like that and also to really understanding how we can continue to evolve our data within the firm and how it’s being looked at and analyzed,” he said. “And then the other part of that is really figuring out areas of optimization across automation from advisor communications to internal communications and also making sure that we’re able to provide as much of a personalized experience as we can to the advisor.”

The CAIS platform has been growing quickly the past few years, and recently expanded its relationships with large enterprises, such as Advisor Group and Focus Financial Partners. In April, the company announced a $100 million continuation of a January funding round that saw the company valued at more than $1 billion. The $100 million investment came from Reverence Capital Partners, which gave it a seat on CAIS’ board of directors, filled by Milton Berlinski, managing partner at Reverence.

Ardian and iCapital® Partner to Broaden Private Markets Investment Access for Wealth Managers Globally

AltsTech, AltsTech Announcements, iCapital Network

Ardian and iCapital® Partner to Broaden Private Markets Investment Access for Wealth Managers Globally

October 4, 2022 | iCapital®

Ardian, a world leading private investment house, has entered into a partnership with iCapital1, the leading global fintech platform driving access and efficiency in alternative investing for the asset and wealth management industries to provide wealth managers with access to Ardian’s private market investment strategies. Notably, iCapital products created as a result of this partnership will be available through Allfunds, one of the world’s leading B2B WealthTech platforms.

Marco Bizzozero, Head of International at iCapital, said: “Our mission is to solve the fundamental challenges of investing in private markets for wealth managers and their private clients.”

Ardian will leverage iCapital’s technology platform and structuring solutions to provide wealth managers and their clients with access to Ardian’s deep private markets expertise and suite of alternative investment strategies, based on its global network of 15 offices in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Ardian’s alternative investment strategies spanning Private Equity, Real Assets and Private Credit, will be available to wealth managers.

Private Wealth has always been an important part of Ardian’s investor base. Today, this segment represents more than $8.3 billion of assets under management and over 600 investors. Over the past three years and following the launch of its Private Wealth Solutions unit, Ardian has been developing new ways to give private clients and wealth managers greater access to private market assets.

With more than $141 billion in alternative assets under management and long-standing experience as a private investment house, Ardian’s partnership with iCapital comes amid a surging interest in alternative investing from the global wealth management community and their clients, who have historically had more limited access to appropriately structured alternative investing opportunities. These investors are also increasingly prioritising ESG when making their investment decisions. Ardian has been developing its approach to responsible investment for over 10 years, notably through its annual Secondaries portfolio ESG monitoring. Ardian’s objective is to amplify its impact by assessing GP’s practices and actively engaging with them to improve ESG integration in private investments.

Erwan Paugam, Head of Private Wealth Solutions and Managing Director at Ardian, said: “In 2020, we launched our Private Wealth Solutions initiative based on our conviction that alternative investment opportunities should be accessible to wealth managers and their private clients around the world. Joining forces with iCapital ensures that wealth managers can now seamlessly access our broad expertise in Private Equity, Real Assets and Private Credit investing. Through this partnership, we are combining iCapital’s innovative technology platform with our long-standing commitment to meet the evolving demands of the global wealth management community, to bring a leading solution to wealth managers and help their clients achieve their investment goals.”

Marco Bizzozero, Head of International at iCapital, said: “Our mission is to solve the fundamental challenges of investing in private markets for wealth managers and their private clients. iCapital’s solutions help asset managers and wealth managers facilitate their clients’ access to the growth and diversification opportunities of private markets. This partnership represents another important milestone in our global expansion. We are very pleased to support Ardian’s commitment to bring attractive alternative investment opportunities to the wealth management channel globally and to help advisors and their clients achieve their investment objectives.”

About Ardian

Ardian is a world leading private investment house, managing or advising $141bn of assets on behalf of more than 1,300 clients globally. Our broad expertise, spanning Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit, enables us to offer a wide range of investment opportunities and respond flexibly to our clients’ differing needs. Through Ardian Customized Solutions we create bespoke portfolios that allow institutional clients to specify the precise mix of assets they require and to gain access to funds managed by leading third-party sponsors. We also provide a specialist service for private clients through Ardian Private Wealth Solutions. Ardian is majority-owned by its employees and places great emphasis on developing its people and fostering a collaborative culture based on collective intelligence. Our 900+ employees, spread across 15 offices in Europe, the Americas and Asia, are strongly committed to the principles of Responsible Investment and are determined to make finance a force for good in society. Our goal is to deliver excellent investment performance combined with high ethical standards and social responsibility. At Ardian we invest all of ourselves in building companies that last.
www.ardian.com

About iCapital

Founded in 2013, iCapital is the leading global fintech company powering the world’s alternative investment marketplace. iCapital has transformed the way the wealth management, banking, and asset management industries facilitate access to private markets investments for their high-net-worth clients by providing intuitive, end-to-end technology and service solutions; education tools and resources; and robust diligence, compliance, and portfolio analytics capabilities. iCapital’s solutions enable organizations to streamline and scale their alternative investments operational infrastructure and to provide access to direct investments and feeder funds at lower minimums through simplified digital workflows. iCapital-managed platforms offer wealth advisors and their high-net-worth clients access to an extensive menu of private investments including equity, credit, real estate, infrastructure, structured investments, annuities and risk-managed solutions. iCapital has been recognized on the Forbes FinTech 50 list in each year 2018 through 2022, the Forbes America’s Best Startup Employers in 2021 and 2022, and MMI/Barron’s Industry Awards as Solutions Provider of the Year in 2020 and 2021. As of August 31, 2022, iCapital services more than US$138 billion in global client assets, of which more than US$32.7 billion are from international investors (non-US Domestic), across more than 1,100 funds. Employing more than 1,000 people globally, iCapital is headquartered in NYC and has offices worldwide including in Zurich, London, Lisbon, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Toronto.

For additional information, please visit the iCapital website at www.icapitalnetwork.com | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icapital-network-inc | Twitter: @icapitalnetwork

See disclosures here.

1 Institutional Capital Network, Inc. and its affiliates (together, “iCapital”)

Contacts

Ardian Media Contacts
United Kingdom, Headland
ardian@headlandconsultancy.co.uk / +44 (0)20 3435 7469

North America, The Neibart Group, Rachelle Gaynor
ardian@neibartgroup.com / + 1 631 278 2046

iCapital Media Contacts
United Kingdom, Viktor Tsvetanov
icapital@headlandconsultancy.com / +44 (0)20 3435 7469

North America, Morgan Miller
icapital@neibartgroup.com / +1 919- 602-2806

Switzerland, Tanja Kocher
tanja.kocher@holisticom.ch / +41 31 311 43 48

Italy, Marina Riva
m.riva@barabino.it / +39 02/72.02.35.35

Asia, Marylene Guernier
icapital@secnewgate.hk / + 852 5225 7820

 

CAIS Summit Announces Final Lineup as Interest in Alternatives Soars Among Financial Advisors

AltsTech, AltsTech Announcements

CAIS Summit Announces Final Lineup as Interest in Alternatives Soars Among Financial Advisors

September 29, 2022 | CAIS

CAIS, the leading alternative investment marketplace for independent financial advisors, today announced the final agenda for its inaugural Alternative Investment Summit, which will take place October 17 to 19, 2022 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California.

“As we enter this ‘New Era of Access’ with advisors shifting away from public markets to alternatives, CAIS is eager to connect the independent wealth channel with leading alternative asset managers in a way that’s never been done before,” said Matt Brown, Founder and CEO at CAIS. “The CAIS Summit will be tailored to the unique needs and priorities of the independent financial advisor community, giving them knowledge, insights, and access to managers so that they can more confidently embrace alternative investment strategies and seek to grow their businesses.”

In addition to over 40 leading alternative investment managers, the summit will host hundreds of independent financial advisors from RIAs and IBDs who oversee more than $2 trillion in assets including Marty Bicknell, President and CEO of Mariner Wealth Advisors, Rajini Kodialam, Co-Founder, Board Member and Chief Operating Officer of Focus Financial Partners, and Jeff Dekko, CEO of Wealth Enhancement Group, who are slated to present.

Notable general sessions include:

• What’s the Alternative? How Today’s Economy may be Making the Argument for Alts: Jenny Johnson, President and CEO, Franklin Templeton; Mike Arougheti, Director, Co-Founder, CEO and President, Ares; Jim Zelter, Co-President, Apollo; Michael Milken, Chairman, Milken Institute (Moderator)

• Market Update with Marko Kolanovic: Marko Kolanovic, PhD, Chief Global Markets Strategist, J.P. Morgan

• Get in the Game: Why Pro Sports may be an Attractive Asset Class: Todd Boehly, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, Eldridge; Marc Lasry, Co-Founder and CEO, Avenue Capital Group; Dr. Frank Luntz, American Political and Communications Consultant (Moderator)

• Zoom Out: The Macro-Forces Potentially Impacting the Wealth Management Industry’s Evolution: Aaron Hodari, Managing Director, Schechter; Hunter Satterfield, Partner, Cain Watters; Cameron Dawson, Chief Investment Officer, NewEdge Wealth; Chip Roame, Founder and Managing Partner, Tiburon Strategic Advisors (Moderator)

• Mid-Terms in Mind: How November’s Election Outcomes Could Impact Advisors: Dr. Frank Luntz, American Political and Communications Consultant

• A Conversation with Jay Clayton: Jay Clayton, Apollo Chair and Former SEC Chair

• Blockchain Beyond the Bulls and Bears: Mike Novogratz, Founder and CEO, Galaxy; Dan Tapiero, CEO, 10T; Jennifer Prosek, Managing Partner, Prosek (Moderator)

In addition to general sessions, attendees will benefit from a variety of discussion formats including breakfast roundtables and ‘CAIS Talks’ spread over six different session times. These 30-minute mini sessions will run concurrently on three stages, with a focus on a wide range of alternative asset categories, and will be led by industry leaders including:

• Angelo Gordon – TJ Durkin, Head of Structured Credit, Co-Portfolio Manager for MVP

• Apollo Global Management – Stephanie Drescher, Global Head of Client Products and Solutions

• Ares – Raj Dhanda, Partner and Global Head of Wealth Management

• Avenue Capital Group – Marc Lasry, Co-Founder and CEO

• Benefit Street Partners – Richard Byrne, President

• Bluerock – Miguel Sosa, Research and Product Strategist

• Carlson Capital – Thad Teaford Jr., Portfolio Manager and Partner

• Davidson Kempner – Eric Epstein, President

• EQT – Eric Liu, Partner and Head of North American Private Equity

• Hamilton Lane – Erik Hirsch, Vice Chairman and Head of Strategic Initiatives

• HarbourVest – Drew Snow, Principal, QIS Client Strategist

• ICG – Andrew Hawkins, Vice Chairman, Strategic Equity

• J.P. Morgan – Marko Kolanovic, PhD, Chief Global Markets Strategist

• Mercer – Amy Ridge, Partner; Gregg Sommer, Partner

• Monroe Capital – Theodore Koenig, Chairman and CEO

• Silicon Valley Bank – John China, President

• The Carlyle Group – Brian Marcus, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager

• WorldQuant, Millennium – Andy Kreuz, Deputy Chief Investment Officer

CAIS Summit is an invite-only event. To view the agenda and inquire to join us, click here.

About CAIS

CAIS is the leading alternative investment platform for financial advisors who seek improved access to, and education about, alternative investment funds and products. CAIS provides financial advisors with a broad selection of alternative investment strategies, including hedge funds, private equity, private credit, real estate, digital assets, and structured notes, allowing them to capitalize on opportunities and/or withstand ever-changing markets. CAIS also offers custom solutions for advisors seeking to create custom fund vehicles around ideas they source.

CAIS also provides an industry-leading learning system, CAIS IQ, to help advisors learn faster, remember longer, and improve client outcomes.

All funds listed on CAIS undergo Mercer’s independent due diligence and ongoing monitoring. Mercer diligence reports and fund ratings are available to advisors on the CAIS password-protected platform. CAIS streamlines the end-to-end transaction process through digital subscriptions and integrated reporting with Fidelity, Schwab, and Pershing, which make investing in alternatives simple.

Founded in 2009, CAIS, a fintech leader, is empowering over 6,600+ unique advisor firms/teams who oversee more than $2.5T+ in network assets. Since its inception, CAIS has facilitated over $18B+ in transaction volume as the first truly open marketplace where financial advisors and alternative asset managers engage and transact directly on a massive scale. CAIS has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and San Francisco. For more information about CAIS, please visit www.caisgroup.com.

Securities offered through CAIS Capital LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.

Contacts:

For CAIS
Nadia Damouni
Pro-CAISPR@Prosek.com

 

 

SS&C Rolls Out Unified SS&C Blue Prism Intelligent Automation Platform

AltsTech, AltsTech Announcements, SS&C

SS&C Rolls Out Unified SS&C Blue Prism Intelligent Automation Platform

October 3, 2022 | SS&C

SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc.(Nasdaq: SSNC) today announced at its SS&C Deliver Conference the rollout of its intelligent automation portfolio under the SS&C Blue Prism brand. SS&C Blue Prismcombines RPA, BPM and low and no-code capabilities to provide a comprehensive menu of intelligent automation (IA) services.

“SS&C Blue Prism’s comprehensive suite of products and second-to-none support options are a critical part of our business processes. By utilizing its intelligent automation platform and extensive industry expertise, we’re able to deliver high quality and innovative services.” Giovanni GentileManaging Director, Bionics, State Street Bank

Supported by technologies such as Process Intelligence, AI/ML, and Intelligent Document Processing, the portfolio enables businesses to unify the workforce, transform customer, employee and user journeys and scale enterprise-wide.

SS&C Blue Prism’s recent integrations and developments include:

• SS&C | Blue Prism® Intelligent Automation Platform – Blue Prism’s enterprise platform integrates with Chorus BPM, now branded SS&C Blue Prism® Chorus, enabling simplified workflow management and greater visibility and control.

• SS&C | Blue Prism® UX Builder – the new intuitive no-code development capability enables business users to rapidly build enterprise applications and automate processes without relying on developers. Simple drag-and-drop functionality allows users to choose app elements from SS&C Blue Prism’s robust menu assets, supported by built-in governance and security controls.

In addition, SS&C Blue Prism will release several key product enhancements and delivery options in the coming months, with more information being released to customers attending the SS&C Deliver conference.

• SS&C Blue Prism® Capture includes process definition, optimization, and solution design, helping organizations unify their workforces and transform their journeys.

• SS&C Blue Prism® Director, a new workforce coordination capability that organizes work items by business priority and SLA, scaling IA by ensuring the most important items are completed first.

• SS&C Blue Prism® Email AI will transform journeys by providing significant time savings through extracting and classifying information from emails.

• SS&C Blue Prism® Cloud will now also be available on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and can be purchased on AWS Marketplace, enabling organizations to adopt and scale IA in the cloud with a fully managed and hosted solution.

“We are proud of the progress we’ve made in the seven months since SS&C closed on the Blue Prism acquisition, delivering a comprehensive IA solution with BPM, RPA, no code and AI capabilities. The flexibility of our model ensures we can tailor versatile, scalable solutions to our client’s businesses. Our deep expertise and industry experience ensures we can support our clients’ accelerated business growth.” Bill StoneChairman and CEO, SS&C Technologies

More than 2,800 customers worldwide run their operations on SS&C Blue Prism, digitizing operations across financial services, insurance, health and pharma, banking, and more.

 

Solar Energy Overview

AltsTech, Marketing Intent

Solar Energy Overview

September 27, 2022 | Marketing Intent

Growth in Solar Energy

As part of the renewable energy sector, solar investments are essential to reducing carbon emissions, enhancing the reliability, security and resilience of the U.S. power grid and promoting U.S. energy independence.1

According to Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the average annual growth of the U.S. solar market over the past ten years was 33%, and solar accounted for 46% of all new electricity generating capacity added in the U.S. in 2021, the third year in a row that solar made up the largest share of new capacity.2

Solar photovoltaic (PV) is projected to be the “king of electricity” by the International Energy Agency (IEA), anticipated to experience 12% annual growth from 2019-2040.3


Source: International Energy Agency (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2020 (Table A.3)

How Solar Panels and Solar Farms Work

A PV cell is made of semiconductor materials that absorb the photons emitted by the sun and produce usable electricity. In a solar farm, many individual solar panels are grouped together to produce and transmit energy to the power grid and to homes and businesses.


Source: Renew Wisconsin

 

Low-Cost Electricity Solution

According to Deloitte, solar PV systems are among the most cost-competitive energy resources on the market.4 In fact, the global weighted average of a utility-scale solar project costs is projected to fall by 85% from 2009 to 2025.5 Solar has already reached grid parity in many areas of the world where its low cost now beats both coal and nuclear.6 Solar’s low costs have allowed it to become a self-sustaining industry that is not reliant on government subsidies.6

Solar Farm Costs Are Shrinking5

Solar Energy Creates Jobs

The solar energy industry employs approximately 3.4 million people worldwide, and 250,000 people in the U.S., more than the combined number of jobs in the U.S. coal and oil-gas extraction industries.6

Potential Investment Portfolio Benefits

Alternative energy – including solar – has the potential to offer investors portfolio benefits, including:

• Diversification

• Low correlation to other asset classes

• Potential to generate stable income

• Potential to generate attractive total returns

1 https://www.energy.gov/eere/renewable-energy

2 https://www.seia.org/research-resources/solar-data-cheat-sheet

3 https://macsolarindex.com

4 https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/energy-and-resources/articles/renewable-energy-outlook.html

5 Bloomberg.

6 https://macsolarindex.com

Learn more about Marketing Intent at www.marketingintent.com.

iCapital® and Tikehau Capital Announce Partnership to Broaden Wealth Managers’ Access to Private Markets across EMEA

AltsTech, AltsTech News, iCapital Network

iCapital® and Tikehau Capital Announce Partnership to Broaden Wealth Managers’ Access to Private Markets across EMEA

September 15, 2022 | iCapital

Tikehau Capital (Paris:TKO), the global alternative asset manager, and iCapital[1], the leading global fintech platform driving access and efficiency in alternative investing for the asset and wealth management industries, today announced a partnership to increase wealth managers’ access to Tikehau Capital’s private market investing opportunities.

Through the partnership, Tikehau Capital will launch a customized marketplace powered by iCapital’s technology to deliver Tikehau Capital’s suite of alternative offerings to wealth managers and their high-net-worth clients in the EMEA region.

Initially, the digital solution will provide wealth managers with access to alternative investments which are generally accessible to institutional investors only. It includes the second vintage of Tikehau Capital’s Impact-driven real estate value-add strategy, and the third vintage of Tikehau Capital’s special opportunities strategy, which allows investors to seize credit opportunities across market cycles and credit dislocation.

Tikehau Capital’s offerings will also be made available via Allfunds, the world’s largest fund distribution network. iCapital and Allfunds announced a strategic partnership in June 2021 through which iCapital makes private market investment opportunities available for Allfunds’ clients.

While institutional investors have long had access to alternative investing opportunities, high-net-worth investors and their advisors have historically faced significant barriers such as high investment minimums and difficulties in accessing top-tier asset managers.

iCapital’s technology automates the subscription process, provides transparency into each step of the investing process and seamlessly integrates performance and reporting for alternative investments in an end-to-end digital platform, meaningfully improving the efficiency and client experience of alternative investing.

“We are delighted to partner with iCapital, the leading platform in the alternative investment market for the asset management industry. This strategic partnership is a key step for Tikehau Capital, allowing us to expand our investor base and provide investors with solutions across multiple assets classes,” said Antoine Flamarion, co-founder of Tikehau Capital.

“We believe that the trend of retail investors seeking alternative sources of returns that can offer diversification from traditional markets will be a significant force for change, and it is important for Tikehau Capital to address this trend and increase wealth manager’s access to private market investment opportunities” added Mathieu Chabran, co-founder of Tikehau Capital.

“Wealth managers working with individual investors are increasingly looking at the private markets to potentially generate high risk-adjusted returns with portfolio diversification. We believe that both Tikehau Capital strategies that will be distributed on the platform are particularly adapted to the current economic context and will meet investors demand.” added Vincent Archimbaud, head of Wholesale Europe, Tikehau Capital.

“Today marks another important milestone in our global expansion, and we are extremely pleased to partner with Tikehau Capital, a highly respected alternative asset manager, to provide EMEA wealth managers and their clients with institutional-quality private market investment opportunities,” said Lawrence Calcano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iCapital.”

“Wealth creation is increasingly taking place outside the public markets. We are delighted to support Tikehau Capital in their ambition to offer banks and wealth managers across EMEA with greater access to the growth and diversification opportunities the private markets can offer to client portfolios,” commented Marco Bizzozero, Head of International at iCapital.

About iCapital

Founded in 2013, iCapital is the leading global fintech company powering the world’s alternative investment marketplace. iCapital has transformed the way the wealth management, banking, and asset management industries facilitate access to private markets investments for their high-net-worth clients by providing intuitive, end-to-end technology and service solutions; education tools and resources; and robust diligence, compliance, and portfolio analytics capabilities. iCapital’s solutions enable organizations to streamline and scale their alternative investments operational infrastructure and to provide access to direct investments and feeder funds at lower minimums through simplified digital workflows. iCapital-managed platforms offer wealth advisors and their high-net-worth clients access to an extensive menu of private investments including equity, credit, real estate, infrastructure, structured investments, annuities and risk-managed solutions. iCapital has been recognized on the Forbes FinTech 50 list in each year 2018 through 2022, the Forbes America’s Best Startup Employers in 2021 and 2022, and MMI/Barron’s Industry Awards as Solutions Provider of the Year in 2020 and 2021. As of August 31, 2022, iCapital services more than US$138 billion in global client assets, of which more than US$31 billion are from international investors (non-US Domestic), across more than 1,100 funds. Employing more than 1,000 people globally, iCapital is headquartered in NYC and has offices worldwide including in Zurich, London, Lisbon, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Toronto.

For additional information, please visit the iCapital website at www.icapitalnetwork.com | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icapital-network-inc | Twitter: @icapitalnetwork

See disclosures here.

About Tikehau Capital

Tikehau Capital is a global alternative asset management group with €36.8 billion of assets under management (at 30 June 2022).

Tikehau Capital has developed a wide range of expertise across four asset classes (private debt, real assets, private equity and capital markets strategies) as well as multi-asset and special opportunities strategies.

Tikehau Capital is a founder led team with a differentiated business model, a strong balance sheet, proprietary global deal flow and a track record of backing high quality companies and executives.

Deeply rooted in the real economy, Tikehau Capital provides bespoke and innovative alternative financing solutions to companies it invests in and seeks to create long-term value for its investors, while generating positive impacts on society. Leveraging its strong equity base (€3.1 billion of shareholders’ equity at 30 June 2022), the firm invests its own capital alongside its investor-clients within each of its strategies.

Controlled by its managers alongside leading institutional partners, Tikehau Capital is guided by a strong entrepreneurial spirit and DNA, shared by its 725 employees (at 30 June 2022) across its 13 offices in Europe, Asia and North America.

Tikehau Capital is listed in compartment A of the regulated Euronext Paris market (ISIN code: FR0013230612; Ticker: TKO.FP). For more information, please visit: www.tikehaucapital.com.

Disclaimer

The funds are managed by TIKEHAU INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SAS (on behalf of the funds that it manages), a portfolio management company approved by the AMF since 19/01/2007 under number GP-0700000006.

This document does not constitute an offer of securities for sale or investment advisory services. It contains general information only and is not intended to provide general or specific investment advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future earnings and profit, and targets are not guaranteed. Certain statements and forecasted data are based on current forecasts, prevailing market and economic conditions, estimates, projections and opinions of Tikehau Capital and/or its affiliates. Due to various risks and uncertainties. actual results may differ materially from those reflected or expected in such forward-looking statements or in any of the case studies or forecasts. All references to Tikehau Capital’s advisory activities in the US or with respect to US persons relate to Tikehau Capital North America.

[1] Institutional Capital Network, Inc. and its affiliates (together, “iCapital”)

Contacts

iCapital Media Contacts
USA – Morgan Miller – + 1 919-602-2806 / icapital@neibartgroup.com
UK – Viktor Tsvetanov – +44(0)78 8466 7775 / vtsvetanov@headlandconsultancy.com
Italy – Marina Riva – +39 02/72.02.35.35 / m.riva@barabino.it
Switzerland – +41 31 311 43 48 / tanja.kocher@holisticom.ch
Hong Kong – Marylène Guernier + 852 3758 2696 / icapital@secnewgate.hk

Tikehau Capital Media Contact
Valérie Sueur – +33 1 40 06 39 30
UK – Prosek Partners: Alexa Bethell – +44 (0) 7940 166 251
USA – Prosek Partners: Trevor Gibbons – +1 646 818 9238
press@tikehaucapital.com

Tikehau Shareholder and Investor Contacts
Louis Igonet – +33 1 40 06 11 11
Théodora Xu – +33 1 40 06 18 56
shareholders@tikehaucapital.com

Retaining Clients by Building Trust During Recessionary Times

AltsTech, Marketing Intent

Retaining Clients by Building Trust During Recessionary Times

September 19, 2022 | Marketing Intent

Avoiding tough conversations is a sure way to erode trust. In the late 2000s, the firm I was working at conducted a market research study to understand how well wealth managers were serving their clients during one of the most difficult times in our market’s history – the global financial crisis.

The results were shocking. The prevailing sentiment among investors was that their financial advisor was MIA – no communication.

While it can be uncomfortable to discuss the portfolio impacts of a recessionary market, it’s critical to retaining clients for the long-term. Poor communication leads to mistrust, which can also contribute to clients being less tolerant of poor portfolio performance.

Ways Clients Demonstrate Trust

Let’s talk about how much your clients trust you today. Think about how open your clients are to your advice. Have they consolidated all their investment accounts with you? Have they introduced you to other family members? Have they referred you to anyone? If your answers to these questions are “no,” now is the time to improve your trust quotient.

Trust Improvement Strategy #1 – Educate Clients

Your clients hired you to capitalize on your expertise in positioning them well financially. When the market turns negative, you’ll have insights on what it means for certain industries, investments and financial sectors, but many of your clients won’t – even high net worth investors. Consider steady communications to clients that help educate them on market events. Knowledge is power…and your knowledge is a powerful trust builder.

Trust Improvement Strategy #2 – Communicate Proactively

If you don’t already have a consistent, proactive communication plan for clients, now is the time to establish one. Consider regular emails and social media updates. Choose a simple approach to the information you want to provide so it’s easy to stick with your strategy over time – even when you’re busy. And keep the information succinct. Emailing out a blog post or an informative article are effective strategies to remind clients you’re available and paying attention.

Trust Improvement Strategy #3 – Show Up Visually

We’re all human. And in times of discomfort and anxiety, we crave connection to other people more than usual. This is true with your clients too. Show up for them visually as another way to let them know you’re there, have things under control and are ready to help. Get creative beyond in-person meetings. Use video to record yourself providing updates or education and post on social media or use in emails.

While you can’t predict where the market is headed for your clients, you can increase their knowledge level, trust and comfort so they stick with you for the long term – in all market conditions.

As seen in the WealthManagement 2022 Midyear Outlook.

Learn more about Marketing Intent at www.marketingintent.com.

 

Phoenix American Releases White Paper on Operational and Strategic Considerations for Investment Fund Managers in Uncertain Economic Times

AltsTech, AltsTech News, Phoenix American

Phoenix American Releases White Paper on Operational and Strategic Considerations for Investment Fund Managers in Uncertain Economic Times

September 2, 2022 | Phoenix American

Report Provides Insights and Data on Interest Rates, Consumer Sentiment and Investor Perspective

Phoenix American, a full-service fund administration provider for alternative investment funds, has published a new white paper examining the current state the economy and key considerations for alternative fund managers. Fund Operations and Strategy in Uncertain Economic Times analyses the current inflationary and rising interest rate environment in the US economy and the outlook for alternative investment fund managers in 2022 and beyond.

The paper draws on Phoenix American’s perspective as an administration provider for real estate funds and features contributions from FactRight, a leading provider of due diligence on sponsors and products in the alternative investment industry.

Ambiguous Consumer and Investor Sentiment

Top takeaways from the report include: 

• Conflicting outlook of consumers. Data shows that Americans have a stronger view of the state of the overall economy and outlook for business than for their personal economic prospects.

• Higher but not high interest rates. The Federal Reserve has taken alarmingly fast and aggressive action on interest rates but they remain well below their long-term average.

• Operational considerations for fund managers. Fund sponsors can guard against the effects of economic fluctuations with lean back-office efficiency and the elimination of key-person risk.

• Strategic review. Fund managers should take the opportunity to examine any assumptions of their fund strategy that may expose performance to volatility risk from key economic indicators.  

50 Years of Fund Administration for Alternative Investments

Phoenix American has supported the back office needs of alternative funds since 1972, through times of both economic expansion and upheaval. The company’s systems and services enable real estate and other alternative fund sponsors to respond operationally to major changes in strategy with innovative and flexible solutions. New approaches to fund raising, cash flow and deal acquisition employed by Phoenix American client funds are supported by a versatile and robust back-office infrastructure.

“Inflation and high interest rates are a challenge for investment funds, no doubt,” said Andrew Constantin, Chief Operating Officer for Phoenix American. “But some are definitely better prepared than others, strategically and operationally, for sudden changes in market conditions.”

About Phoenix American

Phoenix American Financial Services provides full-service fund administration, fund accounting, transfer agent and investor services as well as sales and marketing reporting to fund sponsors in the alternative investment industry. The Phoenix American Aviation ABS group provides managing agent and accounting services for securitizations specializing in the commercial aviation leasing industry. The company is a subsidiary of Phoenix American Incorporated along with Phoenix American SalesFocus Solutions. Phoenix American was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in San Rafael, CA.

Media Contact

David Fisher
Director
dfisher@phxa.com

SS&C Acquires Tier1’s CRM Business

AltsTech, AltsTech Announcements, SS&C

SS&C Acquires Tier1’s CRM Business

August 23, 2022 | SS&C

SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. announced it has acquired the sell-side Tier1 CRM business and related assets from Tier1 Financial Solutions in an all-cash transaction. Tier1 CRM is a leading provider of sell-side CRM solutions targeting capital markets and investment banks.

Based in Toronto, Canada, Tier1 CRM supplies CRM capabilities to sell-side financial services firms, including research, trading, and sales teams within capital markets groups, and provides a deal management CRM experience to investment banks. The acquisition will expand SS&C’s CRM capabilities, targeting capital markets and investment banks, adding 30+ enterprise clients across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Tier1 CRM’s 60+ employees in Canada and the U.S. will join SS&C, reporting to Derek Landi, Vice President and General Manager, SS&C Salentica.

“The sell-side Tier1 CRM business will be a strong addition to our CRM solutions business,” said Landi. “We will add talented employees and respected clients to our roster with like-minded product architecture and deep client expertise. The combination of the Tier1 business and Salentica will allow us to better serve clients with CRM solutions purpose-built for their market.”

“We are delighted to join the SS&C family,” said Doug Christensen, Chief Operating Officer of Tier1 CRM. “Joining forces with SS&C allows the business to scale as the customer base grows, and provides complementary solutions to many of SS&C’s existing products and businesses.”

iCapital® to Acquire US Alternative Investments Feeder Fund Platform from UBS

AltsTech, AltsTech News, iCapital Network

iCapital® to Acquire US Alternative Investments Feeder Fund Platform from UBS

August 23, 2022 | iCapital

iCapital1, the leading global fintech platform driving access and efficiency in alternative investing for the asset and wealth management industries, and UBS (NYSE: UBS) today announced they entered into a definitive agreement whereby iCapital will acquire UBS Fund Advisor LLC, UBS’s legacy proprietary US alternative investment manager and the feeder fund platform it manages. The platform, generally referred to as “AlphaKeys Funds,” represents more than US$7 billion in client assets.

With this transaction, iCapital will assume the management and operation of the platform, which includes private equity, hedge fund and real estate feeder funds. UBS Financial Advisors will continue to serve their high and ultra-high net worth clients that hold feeder funds as they always have, providing advice and solutions to help meet their unique needs and financial goals.

“iCapital has a long-standing global relationship with UBS through which we utilize our market-leading technology to facilitate the management of their direct and feeder funds on a single platform and offer their advisors the tools they need to be successful,” said Lawrence Calcano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iCapital. “We are thrilled to expand that relationship to include management of UBS Fund Advisor and the feeder fund platform.”

“This agreement underscores the importance of having partners like iCapital, with aligned values and priorities to support clients’ financial goals,” said Jerry Pascucci, Global Co-Head of Alternative Investment Solutions at UBS Global Wealth Management. “iCapital is uniquely qualified to manage the on-going operations of this platform and service our clients’ existing investments, enabling us to help our financial advisors focus on what’s important – providing personalized advice and solutions to their clients.”

In 2017, UBS became an investor in iCapital and entered into a strategic relationship with the firm to structure new feeder funds for UBS to distribute going forward. At that time, UBS also integrated iCapital’s proprietary technology into its private fund operations to streamline and automate its alternative investment offerings. In 2021, the strategic partnership was enhanced to further digitize the UBS Advisor experience, improving the information and analytics of clients’ private market investments across its international locations, including Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

The transaction is expected to close during the second half of 2022. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

About iCapital
Founded in 2013, iCapital is the leading global fintech company powering the world’s alternative investment marketplace. iCapital has transformed the way the wealth management, banking, and asset management industries facilitate access to private markets investments for their high-net-worth clients by providing intuitive, end-to-end technology and service solutions; education tools and resources; and robust diligence, compliance, and portfolio analytics capabilities. iCapital’s solutions enable organizations to streamline and scale their alternative investments operational infrastructure and to provide access to direct investments and feeder funds at lower minimums through simplified digital workflows. iCapital-managed platforms offer wealth advisors and their high-net-worth clients access to an extensive menu of private investments including equity, credit, real estate, infrastructure, structured investments, annuities and risk-managed solutions. iCapital has been recognized on the Forbes FinTech 50 list in each year 2018 through 2022, the Forbes America’s Best Startup Employers in 2021 and 2022, and MMI/Barron’s Industry Awards as Solutions Provider of the Year in 2020 and 2021. As of July 31, 2022, iCapital services more than US$136 billion in global client assets, of which more than US$32 billion are from international investors (non-US Domestic), across more than 1,080 funds. Employing more than 1,000 people globally, iCapital is headquartered in NYC and has offices worldwide including in Zurich, London, Lisbon, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Toronto.

For additional information, please visit the iCapital website at www.icapitalnetwork.com | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icapital-network-inc | Twitter: @icapitalnetwork

See disclosures here.

About UBS
UBS convenes the global ecosystem for investing, where people and ideas are connected and opportunities brought to life, and provides financial advice and solutions to wealthy, institutional and corporate clients worldwide, as well as to private clients in Switzerland. UBS offers investment solutions, products and impactful thought leadership, is the leading global wealth manager, provides large-scale and diversified asset management, focused investment banking capabilities, and personal and corporate banking services in Switzerland. The firm focuses on businesses that have a strong competitive position in their target markets, are capital efficient and have an attractive long-term structural growth or profitability outlook.

UBS is present in all major financial centers worldwide. It has offices in more than 50 regions and locations, with about 30% of its employees working in the Americas, 30% in Switzerland, 19% in the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 21% in Asia Pacific. UBS Group AG employs more than 72,000 people around the world. Its shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

1. Institutional Capital Network, Inc. and its affiliates (together, “iCapital”)

Contacts

iCapital Media Contact
Morgan Miller
919-602-2806
icapital@neibartgroup.com

UBS Media Contact
Erica Chase
212-713-1302
erica.chase@ubs.com

Four Ways To Communicate With Clients Amid Market Volatility

AltsTech, AltsTech Announcements

Four Ways To Communicate With Clients Amid Market Volatility

August 2, 2022 | Abby Salameh, Chief Marketing Officer, CAIS & Head of CAIS IQ | Forbes

If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you’ve probably heard the word “recession” being thrown around. Inflation is at a 40-year high and is affecting everything from the cost of groceries to the price of gas. In addition to those higher bills, we’ve officially entered a bear market.

Volatile markets and an uncertain economy can combine to create a breeding ground for nervous clients—clients who may then turn to their advisors for reassurance. Sure, you can remind them that market downturns recover, but some clients need more—and the more you can communicate, the better.

Communication can be so critical when it comes to engaging and retaining clients—and yet it can be so easily overlooked. According to one 2019 report from YCharts, more than 1 in 4 clients reports that their advisor contacts them “very infrequently,” and more than half stated that more frequent contact would increase confidence in their financial plan.
 
Think those stats don’t apply to you? Here’s another that might make you do a double take: A 2021 study (via RIA Intel) showed that advisors rated their own performance 15%–36% higher than their clients did in all categories—including how well they kept clients informed about investment performance in down markets.

I can’t understate the importance of regular communication with your clients, especially in today’s market. Let’s explore some steps one can take to increase effective communication and boost client confidence in their financial plans.

Keeping In Touch

Increased communication can help advisors maintain stronger relationships, retain clients and build more rapport in the industry. But what does that increased communication look like? And will it take time and money away from your firm’s other tasks?

Thanks to today’s tech, you can create more frequent communication with your clients without adding much to your workload. Here are a few tried-and-true strategies you can use to get in touch with your clients:

1. Emails

One mode of communication that spans every generation is email.

Emails can be an effective way to send out quick reminders, newsletters and important announcements. It’s easy to access, has options for personalization and is appropriate for professional purposes. You can also schedule emails, making it easier to fit them into your schedule and optimize when your clients will receive them.

Beyond that, emails can also support the ability to send different types of data, such as charts, tables, images and more—something that’s just not possible over the phone.

My recommendation: When in doubt, you can’t go wrong with an email.

Bonus Tip: Don’t skip the email personalization. It’s a quick and painless addition that your clients will appreciate (and likely expect).

2. Texts And Phone Calls

Phone calls and texts might be more time-consuming than emails, but they also offer the opportunity for one-on-one conversations in real time. And while texting might be restricted or prohibited for compliance reasons, many platforms now create additional flexibility for you to reach clients wherever they prefer—from WhatsApp to Facebook Messenger to plain old text messages.

For top-tier clients that need truly personalized communication, you can always pick up the phone or schedule a time to talk.

Bonus Tip: While I’ve found that text messaging is becoming an increasingly popular mode of communication between clients and their advisors, it’s best to get the go-ahead from your compliance department and client before you begin. A great way to address this is to allow clients to opt in or out of texts during your onboarding process.

3. In-Person Meetings

I know: Regular in-person meetings with every client wouldn’t leave much room in your schedule for running your business. But when the markets are acting up, sometimes a face-to-face meeting is the only thing that will ease their anxiety.

In-person meetings may allow you to truly get to know your clients, and I’ve found that they build more trust than any other form of communication. Your clients are entrusting you with their financial future—they will likely want to get to know you, too.

Bonus Tip: Want to meet one on one with your clients but can’t find the time? Consider hosting an annual event for your staff and clients to meet and mingle. This can be a great way to put a face to those names without eating up too much of your schedule.

Send out a thank you and add a couple of posts to your social media afterward, and you’re golden.

4. Blogs

Lastly, blogs are a great way to engage with clients and communicate your ideas to a larger audience all at once. If you write one article addressing your thoughts and approach to the current market and a quarter or even half of your clients read it, that cuts the number of individual conversations you may need to have down considerably.

And chances are good that your advice won’t change that much from one period of volatility to the next, so you will ultimately be able to reuse content for the next time. For that reason, you may not want to go into too much detail about the specifics in your articles.

Bonus Tip: Your blogs don’t just have to live on your website—you can create social media posts leading back to your blog or even add links to your newsletters. If you’re going to spend time creating quality content, you want to make sure that people are reading it, right?

Talking The Talk With Confidence

An important thing to remember when you’re speaking with your clients about a down market is to remain calm. You are the fountain of financial knowledge, and if you’re nervous, your clients may also feel uneasy. Address their concerns head-on and remain transparent in your communications.

Most importantly: Remind your clients of their long-term goals and talk about how you can aim to stay on track to meet those goals.

Volatile markets can make for nervous clients and an increased need for regular communication. With these strategies in place, you can more easily calm their fears and keep your cool.

 

 

Recession

Recession and Resilience: Looking to Leading Indicators

AltsTech, AltsTech News, CAIS

Recession and Resilience: Looking to Leading Indicators

August 5, 2022 | Andrew Snyder, Linge Sun, & Nicholas Reade | CAIS

The Fed continues navigating what appears to be an ever-finer line between a hard and soft landing for the U.S. economy. We look past the most recent GDP estimate to leading economic indicators that have historically proven to have greater predictive power to signal turning points in the economy1 in an attempt to better understand the probability of an impending recession.

As recession risks appear to rise, investors may find opportunities in alternative investments to attempt to increase the protection of their portfolios and seek to take advantage of potentially worsening economic conditions.

Strategies designed to enable capital preservation, like protection-focused notes, and those that can provide portfolio diversification, like hedge funds, may be particularly impactful in recessionary periods. In addition, special situations and distressed debt strategies may enable investors to access opportunities that typically arise as companies navigate a challenging environment of higher interest rates and increasing economic uncertainty.

Leading Indicators with Predictive Power2

GDP has been estimated to have fallen for the second consecutive quarter into 2022. Meanwhile, the Fed3 and the White House4 have emphasized that they do not believe the U.S. is currently in a recession and rebuffed the view that a recession is officially inaugurated through two consecutive contractions of GDP.

While the topic of GDP’s contribution to the definition of recession has been a hotly debated topic, it is important to remember that GDP growth is a lagging indicator of the state of the economy.5 To analyze the risk and potential severity of a recession, we look beyond GDP and through the slew of economic data to focus on indicators which tend to change in advance of the rest of the economy—specifically those statistically compelling in signaling past U.S. recessions (Exhibit 1).6

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Marketing Intent: Overcoming Obstacles When Managing Marketing And Delegating

AltsTech, AltsTech Announcements, Marketing Intent

Marketing Intent: Overcoming Obstacles When Managing Marketing And Delegating

August 17, 2022 | Marketing Intent

You’re short staffed, buried in work and you know you should delegate to get out from underneath it and get caught up on your marketing tasks, but you’re not. Why aren’t you delegating? Even seasoned marketing managers fall victim to the “I can do everything myself” or “I can do it better myself” mentality.

LET’S DISCUSS WAYS TO OVERCOME SOME OF THE OBSTACLES WE FEEL WHEN MANAGING MARKETING AND DELEGATING – AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES TO POTENTIALLY OUTSOURCE DELEGATION TO AN OUTSIDE MARKETING FIRM.

Some managers fear delegation because it hasn’t worked out well for them in the past. In my 25+ years of managing marketing teams, I have found that it comes down to delegating to the right people.

There are four different personality traits that I found are critical when you’re choosing who you’re delegating to. 

Strong Sense of Responsibility

First is a strong sense of responsibility and a commitment to the company. You want somebody who is dedicated and interested in their career growth, as well as the mission of the company and feels excited about it. That energy then translates into wanting to accept the additional responsibility of delegation.

Intuitive Communication Skills

Next is intuitive communication skills. I always think of this as understanding the communication needs of the target audience, which in this case is myself, or you, if you’re the manager. You want to make sure that the person you’re delegating to understands what you need to know and when you need to know it. They need to give you updates that make you feel comfortable, without feeling like you have to pry for information, or that you aren’t getting what you need.

Strong Project Management Skills

The next is really strong project management skills. It’s important for whoever you’re delegating to, to understand the overall project and how to move it along. I like to know that the person understands “Plan A,” but that they also have a “Plan B” and even a “Plan C” at times, in their back pocket. They can then keep the project going and moving along if they encounter any obstacles.

Confident Individuals

Next are individuals who are confident in themselves. You want to make sure that you have a team or a person you’re delegating to that is solutions oriented. They need to be trying to solve a problem that comes up versus coming to you as a safety net when things get hard.  They figure out how to address red flags and put projects back on track. This is somebody who feels comfortable and confident in challenging situations, but also makes solutions a reality.

Self Reflection

Let’s move on to our next topic – which can be harder because it requires self-reflection. Oftentimes managers want to take credit for everything the team does, and they feel like in order to do that, they have to do all of the work. They take more of an “I” approach to managing marketing than a “WE” approach.

What I found in my career is that a “WE” approach is much more effective in motivating a team, as well as lightening your own workload, so you can dedicate your time to the tasks and projects that require your attention. If you think about how to motivate your team and elevate each member to work to their maximum potential, there’s much more that a marketing team can accomplish, than if everyone is working on their own.

Delegation to an Outside Firm

When it comes to delegation, marketing managers don’t often think about using an outside marketing resource. Consider projects you just aren’t getting to, or projects that you need help with to push them across the finish line. These are great areas where an outside marketing resource can help. 

An outside marketing firm can also help fill in areas that aren’t your strong suit.

If you’re not an organized person, try to find a marketing firm that is. If you’re looking for a little bit more creativity, then make it criteria to select a firm. Once you have that alignment, you can start out with a small project to make sure you’re developing trust, and then you can move on to delegating out bigger projects.

IF YOU’RE FINDING YOURSELF UNDERWATER AND NEED HELP MANAGING YOUR MARKETING LOAD, WE AT MARKETING INTENT WOULD BE HAPPY TO EXPLORE DELEGATION TO US, WITH YOU.

LET’S HAVE A CONVERSATION.

SS&C: Closing the Customer Knowledge Gap

AltsTech, AltsTech Announcements, SS&C

SS&C: Closing the Customer Knowledge Gap

August 17, 2022 | SS&C

Asset managers have access to more data today than ever before. By harnessing it, savvy firms can unlock powerful insights into their customers’ profiles, preferences and priorities. These insights, in turn, can enable firms to design more efficient and effective distribution strategies built on a solid and accurate foundation of customer knowledge.

Closing the customer knowledge gap is a top priority for asset managers, and with the wealth of data now available, it is a goal that is increasingly within reach.

How well do you know your customer? Download our whitepaper to learn more.

Download White Paper

Clearing Up Misconceptions about Alts

AltsTech, AltsTech News, WealthForge

Clearing Up Misconceptions about Alts

August 12, 2022 | John Rickman | WealthForge

Have you ever wondered why alternative investments are called “alternative” investments? Industry insiders know that “alts” are essentially anything other than stocks, bonds, or cash. They can include real estate, hedge funds, private equity, and even fine art and antiques.

Unfortunately, broadly referring to these types of investments as “alternative” creates a visceral reaction among some wealth managers and their clients that allocating to alternatives exposes them to the same risks associated with cryptocurrency, Richard Hillson of Hillson Consulting says. “That’s like saying I had a bad experience with a stock once, and I’ll never pick a stock again,” he adds.

The alternative investment space is vast and varied, but includes tried-and-true asset classes such as real estate that have predictable returns and less market volatility.

Do your clients have questions about alts? Check out the full video, presented by Alta Trust and Altigo.

Watch Video

BNY Mellon’s Pershing Delivers Next-Gen Technology and Integration Capabilities for Smarter, More Personalized, Highly Efficient Experiences

AltsTech, AltsTech News, BNY Mellon | Pershing

BNY Mellon’s Pershing Delivers Next-Gen Technology and Integration Capabilities for Smarter, More Personalized, Highly Efficient Experiences

June 15, 2022 | BNY Mellon Pershing

BNY Mellon’s Pershing (“Pershing”) today announced the next generation of technology solutions for advisors and wealth management professionals from its flagship conference INSITE 2022. Experience and efficiency are front-and-center in this latest round of updates with the introduction of the new NetX360®+ platform and enhancements to its NetXServices integration portal. Both have been optimized to deliver a more intuitive, seamless user experience, from the advisor experience to operations and business processing.

“We’re launching our next-generation professional platform, NetX360+,” said Tim Foley, Managing Director, Technology, BNY Mellon | Pershing. “It works with you as a personal digital partner — the more you engage with it, the more it will provide a curated experience, including insights tailored just for you. We have an incredible wealth of data that we’re using to make the experience smarter, more personalized, and more intuitive. It’s extremely powerful, spotlighting better ways to serve your clients and targeted opportunities to grow your business.”

NetX360+, Pershing’s redesigned, premier platform equips advisors with a more streamlined user interface and more intuitive experience, available today, including:

• Hyper-personalization based on individual user profile and usage patterns

• Machine learning-driven search results for faster access to relevant data

• New data insights based on client behavior and market activity that highlight recommended next best actions to proactively support client needs and business growth opportunities

• Integrated learning via a digital adoption platform to help users achieve swifter proficiency with new features and tools

NetXServices Integration Portal, Pershing’s next-generation integration source which launched last year, has been enhanced on several fronts. The portal now delivers an easy way to access all integration capabilities, including one of the fastest account openings in the market. Pershing’s Integration Hub delivers bi-directional, real-time data synchronization with a growing network of integrated third-party providers. A build-once, deploy-many framework significantly reduces the time required for clients to complete new integrations.

In addition, the portal has been updated with a complete API set, including two new options designed to deliver real-time data access and convenient self-service:

• Streaming APIs to enable firms to dynamically update their platforms

• Asset movement via digital authorizations for payments and asset transfers from Pershing to third-party brokerage accounts

“We are committed to delivering the innovation and efficiency that digital-first wealth management firms need in today’s consumer-driven environment,” said Ram Nagappan, CIO, BNY Mellon’s Pershing. “Our robust set of APIs offer firms direct access into our full clearing and custody platform, with a suite of integrated solutions for managing real-time orders, workflow, activity, rules, approvals and reporting.”
For more information about INSITE 2022—including a full agenda of speakers, sessions and events please visit bnymellonINSITE.com. Join the conversation on social media by following @Pershing on LinkedIn and Twitter and the #realinsite hashtag.

ABOUT BNY MELLON’S PERSHING

BNY Mellon’s Pershing is a leading provider of clearing and custody services. We are uniquely positioned to help complex financial services firms transform their businesses, drive growth, maximize efficiency, and manage risk and regulation.

Wealth management and institutional firms outsource to us for trading and settlement services, investment solutions, bank and brokerage custody, middle and back office support, data insights, and business consulting.

Pershing brings together high-touch service, an open digital platform and the BNY Mellon enterprise to deliver a differentiated experience for every client.

Pershing LLC (member FINRA, NYSE, SIPC) is a BNY Mellon company. With offices around the world, Pershing has over $2 trillion in assets and millions of investor accounts. Pershing affiliates include Albridge Solutions, Inc. and Lockwood Advisors, Inc., an investment adviser registered in the United States under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Additional information is available on pershing.com, or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter @Pershing.

 

UMB: State of the Market: Non-Traded REITs and BDCs

AltsTech, AltsTech News, UMB Bank

UMB: State of the Market: Non-Traded REITs and BDCs

August 9, 2022 | UMB

In times of wild market volatility, alternative investments are alluring panaceas to vulnerable portfolios. Once reserved for institutional and high-net-worth investors, even some of the more exotic alternative investments are now mainstream. This report provides an overview of the current state of non-traded real estate investment trusts and non-traded business development companies, plus insights on upcoming trends in this product segment.

Uncorrelated asset vehicles such as non-traded real estate investment trusts (‘non-traded REITs’ or ‘NTRs’) and non-traded business development companies (‘non-traded BDCs’) have recently piqued the curiosity of asset managers, advisors and even retail investors.

These investment opportunities offer diversification, income, tax benefits and different risk return profiles. As the attraction of alternative investments such as NTRs and non-traded BDCs intensifies, asset managers are actively considering adding them to their product suites.

Access Full Report

3 Ways to Improve Your Marketing Execution

AltsTech, Marketing Intent

3 Ways to Improve Your Marketing Execution

July 30, 2022 | Cherie Fournier | Marketing Intent

When most people think of marketing, they think of the creativity that goes into copywriting design and web development. But we all know without a solid strategy for execution, that creativity doesn’t go very far. In this article, we’ll discuss three ways to improve your marketing execution through project management, technology know-how, and procedures. 

Project Management

Let’s start with project management. Most marketing projects are more in depth than they might seem on the surface, with many moving parts. At Marketing Intent, we use Trello to manage our projects as well as our clients’ projects. Trello is a simple and versatile project management software that we use for anything from managing an event to launching a fund. Trello allows us to keep all project details and deadlines in one place so we can keep tabs on how deliverables are moving forward. There are many choices in project management software today. Pick one that is simple, fits your needs – and most importantly – that you will use consistently. 

Technology Know-How

A software tool is only as good as how you use it. So, it’s important to have somebody on your marketing team who is comfortable with technology – and not just on the project management side of the equation. In today’s world of digital marketing, marketers are using numerous types of technologies to do their jobs. Sometimes 10 or 12 different programs. It’s important to have somebody who is comfortable and willing to learn and maximize these technologies. 

But keep in mind that you don’t have to use every available function of a technology. The goal is to use technology to increase your efficiency. Not to get overwhelmed by its features, or go so far into functionality that you take time away from core marketing tasks, or the technology becomes so complicated that you don’t use it.

Procedures

That takes us to our next point. And this one may be foreign to many people thinking about marketing. Procedures. I like to think of procedures as being kind to my future self. 

Oftentimes in marketing, there are projects that need to be done once a month or quarter. Instead of trying to remember what you did last time or re-learning the process every time you’re working on that project, take time to create procedures for the project. Next time you do that project, refer to your document and you’ll save time and brain power…and your future self will thank you! 

To recap, we’ve talked about improving your marketing efficiencies through project management, the use of technology and procedures. These are strategies we use every day at Marketing Intent to manage our own projects, as well as our clients. If you’d like help becoming more efficient in your marketing, reach out to us, we’d be glad to help.

About Marketing Intent

We are a sales-focused marketing group specializing in financial services with a track record in marketing that helps drive sales. We live by the mantra, “nothing happens until something is sold” – whether that’s an asset manager’s investment strategy or a financial plan for a client. Our marketing serves as the backbone of sales. Our work makes your prospects and clients take notice, ask questions and listen to your story. Learn how we help asset managersand financial advisors create marketing that grows their businesses. 

 

Altigo Surpasses $2B in Transactions

AltsTech, AltsTech News, Cantor Fitzgerald, Capital Square, ExchangeRight, Inland, WealthForge

Altigo Surpasses $2B in Transactions

July 26, 2022 | WealthForge

Only seven months after hitting the $1 billion mark, Altigo has crossed $2 billion in alternative investments completed on the platform, representing more than 8,600 alts subscriptions since its debut in mid-2019. Altigo’s growth and adoption continues with its adviser user base now topping 185 transactional broker-dealer and RIA firms, with over 200 alternative investment offerings currently “live” and accepting investments on Altigo.

Today, Altigo supports a range of alternative investment offerings from nearly 100 sponsors, including non-listed REITs, qualified opportunity zone funds, non-listed preferreds, interval funds, direct private placements, DSTs, private equity funds, and non-listed BDCs. Nine out of the top 10 DST sponsors, including Inland Private Capital, Capital Square 1031, Cantor Fitzgerald, ExchangeRight, and Passco have seen the speed and efficiency that Altigo provides and have contributed to its growth. 

“Cantor Fitzgerald was the very first sponsor to sign up with Altigo when it launched in 2019 as we shared a common vision for using technology to make it easier for advisors to do alts business and to improve the overall experience for the end investor,” said Jay Frank, President at Cantor Fitzgerald Asset Management. “We are thrilled with the progress that the entire industry has made by embracing Altigo as a solution that makes alts investments incredibly easy.”

Altigo’s success and high rate of both sponsor and advisor adoption is not only due to meaningful results such as reduced NIGO (not-in-good-order) paperwork error rates (to as low as 4%), but also to lightning-fast order entry. A key benefit that sets Altigo apart from other platforms is the team behind it and its commitment to client experience. IBN Financial Services, a broker-dealer recently partnered with the platform, spoke about the onboarding experience:

“These guys have been absolutely great,” said Rick Carlesco, CEO at IBN. “They went to our conference, they talked to our reps, they did individual training—they walked us through the entire process. Change from the old-fashioned way of submitting paperwork can be difficult but the continued training, communication and support from the team truly sets Altigo and the team apart.”

Wealth managers have seen Altigo streamline investment processing and compliance by providing access to all firm-approved alternative offerings in a single white-labeled portal. Altigo also includes custom firm forms and custodian partners’ letters of investment authorization within the workflow. The platform integrates with popular CRM and compliance and risk management tools as well.

“Before I started using Altigo, I had to painstakingly populate each subscription document and depending on the number of alternatives involved in the order, it could take hours to fill in all of the necessary forms,” said Chloe Guinan, Operations Associate at Claraphi. “With Altigo, I simply choose the asset that the client wishes to invest in, select the advisor, enter the client information one time, and the system pre-populates all of the necessary documents for me. Along with the subscription document, the required custodial documents are included in the bundle that can be sent to the client for electronic signature directly through Altigo’s system.”

Altigo will be rolling out even more features and functionality in the second half of the year, helping to expand its value to the market.

“We are pleased by the rate of adoption from wealth management firms and fund managers with our second billion dollars coming only seven months after our first,” said Mat Dellorso, Co-founder at Altigo. “It’s a testament to our team, the desire for portfolio diversifying investments in the market, and the need for transformative technology to make the process easier for all to do more business. This speed of adoption on Altigo enables us to expand across more and more firms in the alternative investment market, bringing greater efficiency to the industry.”

 

The Expanding Universe of Business Development Companies and their Real-World Investment Impacts

AltsTech, AltsTech News, REIT Industry Update, WealthForge

The Expanding Universe of Business Development Companies and their Real-World Investment Impacts

July 20, 2022 | John Rickman | WealthForge

A recent blog post from WealthForge:

Tax-advantaged, non-traded business development companies (BDCs) are alternative investment funds designed to boost the economy while generating a steady stream of income for both retail and accredited investors in the fund.
 
BACKGROUND AND OUTLOOK

BDCs are closed-end investment funds that help finance small, developing, and financially troubled U.S. firms. BDCs pool money from multiple investors and invest that money in business debt and equity. They are also required to provide subject matter expertise to the companies they invest in.

BDCs must invest at least 70% of their total assets in so-called “eligible portfolio companies,” which are valued at less than $250 million and typically lack conventional means of raising money or inviting analyst interest to boost their profiles.

Created by Congress in 1980 as part of amendments to the Investment Company Act of 1940, BDCs can be publicly or privately traded. Those that file publicly may elect to come under the auspices of the Act, meaning, among other things, that they agree to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulation. Election also means BDCs must develop compliance programs and file regular reports with the SEC.

In April 2020, the SEC adopted rule amendments aimed at making it easier for BDCs to respond to market opportunities by streamlining BDC registration processes. The reforms also included disclosure and structured data requirements designed to help investors better analyze fund data.

As of July 2022, there are currently 49 publicly traded BDCs with combined assets of more than $121 billion, according to CEFdata.com which monitors listed and non-listed BDCs. The universe of non-traded BDCs is smaller with $95.6 billion in assets across 58 funds. Assets or gross assets are total investments including leverage and doesn’t take any discount into account.

2021 was a big year for publicly registered, non-traded BDCs, which raised more than $15.7 billion that year, according to The Stanger Market Pulse. This year looks to be even bigger, with the same category of BDCs having already raised more than $13.8 billion through May, according to Stanger.

SIZING UP BDCS AND THEIR INVESTMENTS

The universe of BDCs may be swiftly expanding, but the funds themselves — and the businesses they invest in — are down to earth, and certainly not as lofty in investing in the Amazons of the world, CEFdata.com’s John Cole Scott tells Altigo:

“These aren’t large corporate deals, they’re small- to middle-market investments. The average BDC loan size is around $11 million, with the average BDC portfolio containing roughly 100 such investments,” says Scott. Interest rates for about a third of BDC loans come in under 6.5%, with the rest averaging around 7.31%, he notes.

“BDC companies are both geographically and industry sub-sector diverse and are often operating in your own back yard. They really are impacting communities everywhere, not just in New York or California,” Scott adds.

BDC RISKS AND BENEFITS

A continuous offering over time, BDCs have the potential to provide both retail and accredited investors with a steady stream of distributions stemming from interest income, dividends, and/or capital gains when the investments are sold.

Without factoring for inflation or commissions and fees, BDC yields can range anywhere from 5-10% depending on market conditions. However, BDC fee structures are often far more steep than other types of alternative investments.

As with real estate investment trusts (REITs), if 90% or more of a BDC’s taxable income is annually distributed to investors, BDCs may enjoy pass-through tax treatment. This is only allowed if BDCs are registered and regulated as a registered investment company, and most are. BDCs are only taxed once at the stakeholder level, thus, as with REITs, investors must pay ordinary taxes on their investment earnings.

BDC’s low liquidity profile and sometimes lengthy investment commitments make them unsuitable for some investors, and because BDC target businesses are generally small businesses, these types of alternative investments are typically considered high-risk. Therefore, it’s good to collect as much information as you can on any individual fund before making any commitments.

STREAMLINING THE INVESTMENT PROCESS

As with other offering types, the investment process for BDCs is time consuming and paper laden. Subscription processing technology like Altigo can reduce investment time from weeks to minutes and virtually eliminate errors associated with paper subscription documents.

With over 200 alternative investment offerings currently available on Altigo, our platform supports a range of alternative investment products such as non-listed BDCs, non-listed REITs, qualified opportunity zone funds, non-listed preferreds, interval funds, direct private placements, DSTs, and private equity funds.

For more information about how Altigo can streamline the investment process for BDCs and other alternative investments, contact us for a brief demo.

UMB: Seven questions to help build distribution strategies for interval and tender-offer funds

AltsTech, AltsTech News, UMB Bank

UMB: Seven questions to help build distribution strategies for interval and tender-offer funds

July 19, 2022 | James Curry | UMB

“We wish we’d talked to you six months ago” is a comment I hear often from private fund managers as they work out distribution strategies for their first registered product. Too often, managers have to backtrack when their sales, operations and investment teams aren’t on the same page. Here are seven questions drawn from practical experience to align your team—and avoid wasted time and effort.

The first six questions help define and refine a distribution strategy. The seventh is a critical one about product economics.

1. Who are your initial investors and target market?
There’s a big difference between retail investors (and their advisors) and large institutional RIAs and family offices.

Say you’ve been encouraged by retail-market RIAs to make your strategy available to their clients. It’s important to understand what they are expecting—because it may well mean your presence on mutual-fund platforms that present interval and tender-offer funds together with standard open-ended funds.

Institutional RIAs and family offices, by contrast, are unlikely to require that platform presence.

2. What platform does the RIA prefer?
There are two defined and separate distribution paths for interval and tender offer funds depending on your funds structure. Do the advisors interested in your product work primarily—or only—with funds available on a specific platform? Your fund’s valuation structure and other factors will determine which distribution path you choose and ultimately how your funds are approved and made available to the various RIAs, broker-dealers and wire houses.

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Marketing Teams Aren’t Immune To Inflation

AltsTech, Marketing Intent

Marketing Teams Aren’t Immune To Inflation

July 14, 2022 | Marketing Intent

Inflation – it’s all across our economy and affecting almost every part of our lives, including our marketing teams. If you’ve been searching for marketing candidates, you’ve probably noticed a demand for increased salaries, but you may not be getting qualified candidates applying for your positions or the hiring process is draining your team resources.

LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW AN OUTSIDE MARKETING FIRM CAN HELP TAKE WORK OFF YOUR SHOULDERS BY TACKLING SHORTER AND LONGER-RANGE MARKETING PROJECTS.

The Sprint Project

The “sprint” marketing project is a short project where you might already have content developed and you just need it developed into an email, flier or a social media campaign. That’s where an outside marketing firm can step in quickly, especially one who knows your industry. They will help you push the project to the finish line.

The Half Marathon Project

Next, let’s talk about the “half marathon.” This is a project you may already have started and know it’s going to take some time to complete. You may need help with strategy, planning, writing or designing some deliverables. Again, an outside marketing firm can step in, accelerate the project and see it through to completion.

The Marathon Project

Then there’s the “marathon.” These projects can last multiple months. We often see these projects as the ones that firms have started, but don’t have the time to dedicate to them. An outside marketing firm can help you with planning, making sure everything stays on track over the months, as well as creating the deliverables. Examples of marathon projects are fund launches, series of videos, and automating email marketing.

Reallocating FTE Dollars to Outside Resources

Regardless of how in-depth your marketing project is, from that short sprint to a long marathon, taking the dollars you have earmarked for full-time employees (FTE) when you just can’t fill those roles, and dedicating them to an outside marketing resource can go a long way in helping you reach your marketing goals.

CONTACT US TO FILL IN THE GAPS

If you need help, as you’re looking to fill marketing roles and just aren’t finding the right candidates, reach out to us and we’d be happy to fill the gaps.

 

What does a custodian do for alternative investment managers?

AltsTech, AltsTech News, UMB Bank

What does a custodian do for alternative investment managers?

June 29, 2022 | Amy Small | UMB

Legacy mutual fund managers are likely accustomed to hearing about custody requirements driven by regulation. But what does a custodian do for alternative asset managers who are not experienced in hiring a qualified custodian?

The primary duty of a third-party custodian is loss prevention by safeguarding assets. All registered funds, even those with alternative strategies, are required by law to use a custodian, who “sit between” the investment manager and the assets themselves, for everyone’s protection.

Many unregistered alternative funds—such as hedge funds and limited partnerships—also use a custodian, often at the request of one or more large investors who want the strong controls provided by third-party oversight such as compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) requirements. Or, because the ancillary services provided by a custodian support efficiency in their cash management and investor onboarding efforts.

The word “custodian” can be a bit confusing, especially in the context of alternative asset classes. The role I’m addressing here is different from the services a manager’s prime broker may provide. Private fund custody, in this case, refers to third-party oversight and processing services sometimes known as “bank custody” or “institutional custody.”

That said, like prime brokers, private fund custodians can provide a suite of services that complement the primary function. For prime brokers, sales and trading is the primary function, complemented by ancillary services such as financing.

For institutional custodians, risk reduction is the primary function, complemented by services such as:

• Servicing and settling trades

• Managing overnight cash

• Providing real-time reporting on cash availability

• Enabling straight-through processing on cash movements

• Tax Reporting

• Managing proxy and corporate actions

• Handling foreign exchange (FX) needs

• Segregating collateral

• Registering and opening foreign accounts

Not surprisingly, these private fund custody services relate to either or both securities themselves or the cash transacted for them. That intersection of securities and cash is precisely a custodian’s domain—and where it applies rigorous controls to avoid mistakes and fraud.

Investor-related services 

But private fund custody services can extend even further to areas relating closely to the investor base of an alternative fund. These investor-related services can end up making a huge difference in managers’ operational efficiency. One such area is online reporting, via an investor portal that allows investors self-service access to account information.

Another investor-related area—one which we’ve seen significant interest—is help completing alternative investment subscription documents on a manager’s behalf. This can include completing the core offering documents as well as AML and know-your-customer (KYC) requirements for each investor.

Financing arrangements and more

Although prime brokers are more associated with financing than custodians, managers should know the role private fund custodians can play in supporting their financing strategy. At UMB, for example, we work strategically with both our customers and their existing lenders to create tri-party collateral agreements.

Bank custodians like UMB may also be able to support alternative managers even further throughout the investment lifecycle with traditional banking and escrow services, investor servicing and fund administration.

Ultimately, our work as custodian is to keep all parties secure and provide the client service that helps managers run their businesses as efficiently as possible.

UMB’s is among the nation’s leading institutional custodians. Our team offers a complete range of domestic and global custody services with a high-touch service model. Visit umb.com to learn how we  can support your firm’s institutional custody needs, or contact us to be connected with a custody team member.