Solutions
A new State of Our Union 2019 research report by Jefferies Prime Services has found that next generation research and development processes are flourishing, as managers revisit their approach to research in order to stay current on emerging themes and tools to improve the investment process.
Beyond the motivation to remain ahead in the age of data and technology disruption, Jefferies has also found that allocators are more frequently inquiring about manager research processes to ensure that their capital is maintaining an edge.
“We produce the State of Our Union report every year (the first was published in February 2018)
Fintech platform iCapital Network is to become exclusive feeder fund service provider for Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management Alternative Investments Group, with responsibility for the oversight functions of the group’s alternative investment feeder fund assets.
The transaction was completed on 14 March 2019. The alternative investments feeder fund business transferring to iCapital is comprised of approximately 115 investment vehicles across a range of investment strategies. iCapitals proprietary end-to-end technology solution will be leveraged to streamline ongoing operations and administration services for the funds and provide support to advisors and their high-net-worth client base. Following this transaction, iCapital will service approximately USD40 billion
Charles River Development and Axioma have formed a strategic partnership which will see Axioma’s risk and portfolio analytics integrated into the Charles River Investment Management Solution (Charles River IMS), a front and middle office platform used by more than 300 investment managers, asset owners and hedge funds globally.
As a result, Charles River clients will benefit from access to Axioma’s full suite of factor models and portfolio optimisation capabilities directly within the Charles River IMS.
In combination with Charles River’s portfolio management, risk and attribution capabilities, Axioma’s factor models for equity, multi-asset and fixed income portfolios will enable firms
One of the latest managers to be granted an ADGM license, AD Global Investors (ADGI), has selected Apex Group Ltd (Apex) as its middle-office provider.
The specialist active fixed income manager ADGI moves towards an outsource model for enhanced oversight and access to market-leading technologies as it selects Apex for its ability to deliver local service complemented by global capabilities. ADGI was the first ADGM licensed manager to be authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland to manage Irish UCITS funds, and has selected a cross-jurisdictional provider in Apex for its middle office requirements for a scalable service.
ADGI
Osmosis Investment Management, a USD1.5 billion AUM asset manager, has appointed Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) to support its MoRE World Sustainable Market Neutral Fund – a sustainable investment fund taking long positions in resource-efficient companies, and short positions in inefficient companies across developed markets.
Services provided by Northern Trust include fund administration, foreign exchange algorithmic trading and liquidity management solutions.
The fund is supported by Prescient Fund Services (Ireland) Limited on the Prescient ICAV platform, which launched in 2017 and is geared towards supporting growing boutique to mid-sized asset managers – allowing them to distribute to investors cost-effectively and
Align, a provider of technology infrastructure solutions and managed IT services, has been named Best Global Cyber-Security Services Provider for hedge funds in the 2019 Hedgeweek Global Awards.
The accolade is based on an online peer review system in which prime brokers, institutional and high net worth investors, managers, fund administrators, custodians and advisers are invited to elect a “best in class” in a variety of categories.
Hedgeweek Global Awards 2019
Align – Best Global Cyber-Security Services Provider
“The investment industry is undergoing a radical shift where hedge funds of all sizes are now shedding the false sense of security
Vela’s Metro trading platform has connected to the FIX order gateway at BNP Paribas, enabling BNP Paribas’ global clients to use Metro’s options pricing, execution, and risk management tools and enable seamless integration and market access to the BNP Paribas FIX order gateway.
Vela’s Metro trading platform is a high-performance, server-based system supporting automated, algorithmic and click trading strategies that underpin buy- and sell-side trading requirements. Offering a complete solution for options pricing, execution, and risk management, Metro provides traders with access to all major US and European options markets on a single platform.
John Nunziata, Head of Electronic
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has published a white paper that outlines function-based guiding principles for regulators and market participants for the post-trade processing of tokenised securities.
The market for trading crypto assets that are security tokens where the post-trade processing uses distributed ledger technology (DLT), has created a need for safety, security and reliability around these transactions to protect market stability.
DTCC highlights that DLT introduces characteristics that are distinct from the market structure for traditional securities, therefore creating unique requirements in the design and application of appropriate regulations and post-trade processing structures.
Global standards
Derivatives marketplace CME Group’s new legal entity CME Amsterdam BV has received approval from the Dutch Minister of Finance.
The establishment of the new Amsterdam-based entity will ensure that CME Group’s BrokerTec and EBS venues and CME Regulatory Reporting services (formerly NEX Regulatory Reporting) can continue to service their EU27 clients, regardless of the outcome of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
CME Group will transition the following businesses to CME Amsterdam BV – BrokerTec’s European Government Bond and European Repo businesses (under a new Regulated Market licence) and on-MTF FX forwards and swaps (under a new MTF licence),
In asset driven organisations, such as hedge fund and private equity firms, efficient and productive operations are critical, both on a daily basis and over time.
This year’s winner for global shadow accounting firm, Viteos, understands alternatives operations in depth. As a result, many of the world’s most complex managers rely on the firm’s expertise and technology for a number of services including trade support; reconciliation; collateral management; regulatory reporting; systems implementation; and shadow accounting.
As managers broaden their complex assets, Viteos has vast experience in deploying advanced accounting technology that addresses operational concerns brought about by these assets.
Shankar
