The overall sentiment within the room at CAIS 2016 was one of optimism. This is perhaps the most exciting period the alternatives fund industry has known and as assets continue to flow into the industry, there is no sign that the brand is running out of steam. 

The Cayman Islands Government published The Limited Liability Companies Bill, 2015 on 18 December 2015 which, when enacted, will provide for the introduction of a new Cayman legal vehicle, the Cayman Limited Liability Company (LLC). The draft legislation closely aligns the Cayman LLC to the United States' Delaware LLC model which will mean that the new structure will be instantly recognisable to the US market. This is a significant development for Cayman.

Susan Lock (pictured) is a partner in the investment funds team at Campbells, a leading Cayman Islands law firm which has been established for over 45 years, advising on both Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands law.

The debate around appropriate corporate governance continues with institutional investors, in particular, seeking greater insight into the role, responsibilities and skill sets of those appointed to the boards of corporate funds. 

With more consolidation expected in 2016 within the hedge fund administration space, those that thrive and survive will likely be ones with a strong reputation, a robust operating model that is able to support managers of all shapes and sizes, and a clearly defined multifarious revenue stream. 

ICG Management Limited ('ICG') is an independent director services provider. It was established in 2006 by Ralph Woodford (pictured) and Andrew Galloway. Along with Galloway and Woodford, the firm's two other directors, Brad Cowdroy and Greg Link, ICG provides director services to offshore funds. 

By Ashley Gunning (pictured) & Charlotte Beales-Hart – Commentators to the hedge fund industry agree that the fund administration landscape has been altered significantly by the mergers and acquisitions activity of the last few years. The consolidation of larger institutional services providers in this space, along with the exit of some smaller administration shops, has naturally flowed through to impact the industry in the Cayman Islands.

These are exciting times for the financial technology sector. In the last few years, market complexity has grown in response to increased regulatory demands, increased investor due diligence requirements, more complex fund strategies and even how hedge funds manage their balance sheets with their prime brokers. 

DMS Offshore Investment Services (‘DMS') Limited was established in the Cayman Islands by Don Seymour in 2000. Over the past 15 years it has grown into one of the industry's leading fund governance firms with over 200 people.

The Portfolio Amalfi™ platform by Nedelma Inc. offers multi-asset, multi-language and multi-currency dynamic reporting and data visualisation and analysis capabilities to the asset management industry. The platform also offers data aggregation tools as well as portfolio management solutions and a calculation engine.