As the worldwide leader in fund governance, risk and compliance, DMS Governance (DMS) excels in delivering high-quality Fund Governance, Risk and Compliance services across a diverse range of investment fund structures and strategies. It represents leading investment firms with assets under management exceeding USD350 billion and for the 4th consecutive year it has been awarded Best Offshore Regulatory Advisory Firm by Hedgeweek. The Hedgeweek Awards recognise excellence among hedge fund managers and service providers around the world.
The key to its continued success and high client demand is, says Daniel Forbes, Executive Director, DMS Governance (New York). “We’ve been in the industry for 18 years, advising and assisting clients with navigating the regulatory landscape and we have built a reputation with our clients as a service provider they can trust and rely on. We have more than 3,000 clients across the globe so clients know they can turn to us when it comes to applying global market standards and practices to their businesses.
“Over the past year, we have seen a significant increase in the demand for our regulatory hosting solutions, and with Brexit fast approaching this has added to our clients’ requirements. We are well-positioned to assist clients who wish to find a convenient and cost-effective way to launch UCITS Funds or Alternative Investment Funds.”
David Morrissey, Executive Director, DMS Governance (Europe) comments: “Many alternative and traditional fund management firms that have offices in London may become obsolete from a European perspective; that’s the worst-case scenario we see as a possibility from March 2019.”
Firms that do not have another EU licenced entity within their organisation will face two key challenges as Brexit approaches; the marketing of their services within the European Union and the operating of separately managed accounts. DMS steps in to meet these challenges and is in the unique position of being able to offer its clients a MiFID Solution, allowing them to continue to market their business and services to qualified institutional investors across Europe.
In addition, DMS can assist clients through the same MiFID entity to operate separately managed accounts. “Compared to other service providers in the market place today, this is a key differentiator. We have our own, highly-experienced, risk, legal and compliance teams supporting the European ManCo and MiFID firm and this substance and infrastructure is what sets us apart from others in the marketplace. Clients know that we will be able to offer a full-service provision and that the solution will be tailored to meet their specific needs,” says Morrissey.
Throughout 2018, DMS has seen many of its global clients affected by a series of regulatory changes such as AML and GDPR. With each new legislation comes a new set of challenges for clients and they look to DMS for guidance. Forbes comments: “The recent introduction of new Cayman Islands AML requirements has meant that DMS’ services have been in high demand. This is one of our areas of expertise and our clients are taking full advantage of this. Similarly, we are seeing the implications that GDPR have had for our clients and we have actively reached out to them to inform them how GDPR might impact their businesses. In both cases our clients look to leverage our knowledge and expertise and we assist them by helping them to understanding the issues they face and by providing a tailored solution to resolve them.”
It is this combination of longevity, expertise and trust that is reflected in their 4th consecutive award win. In winning this year’s award, Forbes concludes: “We are delighted to receive this award from Hedgeweek which reflects not only our breadth of expertise but our commitment to delivering high-quality and tailored services to our clients in the global fund governance community.” n
