Funds
Q&A with Greg Wojciechowski – President and Chief Executive Officer, Bermuda Stock Exchange…
How would you summarise 2018 from a business growth perspective for BSX?
In general, 2018 was a solid year which saw the Exchange solidify its position as the global stock exchange of choice for the listing of Insurance Linked Securities.
For six years in a row, the BSX has maintained leading market share of the global ILS market. In addition to the number of listed securities growing, we also saw the jurisdiction of domicile of the vehicles expand. For example, ILS deals originating out of Europe and the
The global hedge fund industry continued its recovery in February, gaining 0.97 per cent on an equal-weighted basis, and 0.40 per cent on an asset-weighted basis.
Roughly 75.5 per cent of the hedge fund managers tracked by Eurekahedge recorded positive returns over the first two months of the year.
Hedge fund closure activities soared during the final quarter of 2018, as fund managers struggled to mitigate the losses incurred by the equity market sell-offs in October and December. Eurekahedge recorded 296 fund liquidations within the period.
Bermuda’s Insurance Linked Securities (ILS) marketplace has proven to be resilient over the years. The Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX) has significantly outpaced other global markets and now lists more than 300 insurance linked securities, collectively representing USD30.92 billion, with international debt listings climbing 20 per cent in 2018 to 201 vehicles.
As the BSX Chief Compliance Officer, James McKirdy, stated: “In 2018, the BSX saw positive listing activity across most sectors. Listing activity was strong in international debt and insurance linked securities (ILS) with both again reaching record levels.”
Sarah Demerling (pictured) is a Partner in the Corporate, Finance &
Bermuda is embracing the blockchain revolution, and creating a robust and fit-for-purpose legal and regulatory framework governing initial coin and token offerings (ICOs) and digital asset businesses.
Fintech businesses could, according to Scott Watson-Brown (pictured), PwC Bermuda’s Asset Management leader, become the next pillar in Bermuda’s economy, “and we are invested in supporting its growth.”
“Fintech by definition is broad, but at PwC we are of the view that it could provide a gateway for innovators and entrepreneurs to forge opportunity and drive positive change.”
Indeed, the same features that have made Bermuda a successful centre for insurance, asset management
Scope Analysis, a specialist in the analysis and rating of asset management companies and certificate issuers, as well as mutual funds and alternative investment funds, has published an updated Asset Management Rating Methodology for Alternative Investments.
Asset managers and investors can comment on the new methodology until 23 April 2019. The final version of the new rating methodology will be published after the commenting phase.
With the adjustments to the rating methodology, there will be an even stronger focus on the concerns and needs of investors. For example, the skills and competencies in the areas of investor reporting and
MDX Technology Limited (MDXT), a provider of real-time data collaboration and distribution solutions for the global trading community and financial services industry, has completed a corporate restructuring programme.
With immediate effect, the new company structure incorporates three entities: MDX Holdings Limited (MDXH), MDX Technology Limited business (MDXT) and the new MDX Content Limited company trading as IOWA.rocks. MDXH owns 100 per cent of the shares in both the MDXT and IOWA.rocks businesses with no changes to the existing shareholders or management team. With immediate effect MDXT and IOWA.rocks will operate as separate organisations and continue to be headed up
JTC, a provider of fund, corporate and private wealth services to institutional and private clients, has acquired Exequtive Partners, a Luxembourg-based specialist provider of corporate and related fiduciary services.
Exequtive Partners’ 28 employees, including the five principals, will all join the existing Institutional Client Services team at JTC, which this year marks its tenth anniversary of being in Luxembourg, with immediate effect. As well as expanding JTC’s jurisdictional presence, the acquisition also builds on its corporate services capabilities, complements its funds offering and creates greater opportunities for future growth.
JTC is fully committed to Luxembourg, and the industry, and
Troy Asset Management Limited has launched the Trojan Ethical Fund, managed by Charlotte Yonge (pictured), with the support of Troy’s 11-strong investment team.
The Trojan Ethical Fund is a long-only, multi-asset fund which invests according to Troy’s well-established investment process, incorporating the same emphasis on capital preservation and avoidance of permanent capital loss, with the aim of delivering low volatility returns over the long term. The Fund’s asset allocation will be broadly in line with that of the Trojan Fund, and will benefit from Troy’s robust stock selection process, which has long emphasised sustainability of franchise and strong corporate governance, both of
A new study written by the Strategic Consulting team, Prime Services, Barclays Capital reveals that Discretionary Macro, Equity Market Neutral, Equity Quant and Credit strategies are most favoured by investors as they seek to reduce their equity long-only exposure.
The study, called “Crossing Currents – 2019 Global Hedge Fund Industry Outlook”, involved surveying 298 investors with approximately USD5.7 trillion in total AUM.
It found that equity hedge funds, by end-2018, were down 7 per cent with alpha being responsible for about two-thirds of the losses and beta responsible for one-third. This was largely down to a deterioration in the markets
ML Capital, a European independent fund structuring and investment management firm, has officially rebranded to MontLake, along with the new slogan – Fund. Invest. Operate.
The rebrand reflects MontLake’s vision of being the investment fund industry’s most client-centric company; combining world class infrastructure solutions with the world’s leading investment managers.
The MontLake rebrand is the unification and strengthening of two brands ‘ML Capital’ and ‘MontLake’. The cohesive brand captures the separate identity’s and solidifies them under MontLake. Known by many already as ‘MontLake’, from their award winning platforms, it offers a stronger brand into the future for the company.
