Financial Services Ireland

Alternative Investments

Hedge Funds

For more than 25 years, we have provided the hedge fund industry with a depth of support, key insights and leading practices that help funds accelerate in a fast growing ever-changing industry. We are consistently the market leader servicing 75% of the top 100 global hedge funds and our global connectivity gives us unrivalled access to professionals with assurance, tax, advisory and transaction experience to service what is a borderless industry.

Ireland is one of the top 3 fund domiciles in the EMEIA region, and Europe’s fastest growing fund servicing centre. Ireland is also home to the largest hedge fund administration and middle office centre in the world servicing over 40% of global hedge fund assets, with in excess of €1 trillion in assets.

Fund managers are now facing relentless pressure to change the way they do business. At the top of the agenda is the marked increase in scrutiny of the hedge fund industry by regulators, fiscal authorities and investors, where hedge fund managers have faced a relentless deluge of regulations including AIFMD, Dodd Frank, FATCA, MiFID II, EMIR, and OTC Derivatives.

These challenges point to the need for fund managers to institutionalise processes and build infrastructures with the capacity and capability to allow them to continue to manage money in the best interests of their clients. From governance and compliance risk management, taxation and compensation, fund executives must make sure that their operations are consistent, well-documented and transparent to meet the demands made of them. Our professionals stand ready to help hedge fund and fund of funds executives to navigate the industry’s formidable challenges.

AIFMD

The Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFM) directive is having a profound structural impact on the fund industry. While the main focus is on managers of funds, the directive is broad in scope, impacting on EU and non-EU AIFMs and also EU and non-EU domiciled alternative investment funds (AIF), service providers of these funds and their investors. The directive introduces a number of requirements for AIFMs covering authorisation, capital, marketing, conduct of business, functions & service providers and transparency. It also offers a number of opportunities, including the introduction of passports enabling AIFMs to market their AIFs and offer management services throughout the EU. Beyond compliance, the Directive also impacts service offerings and operating models as alternative investment groups need to meet client expectations in a new regulatory environment.

We are market leaders in providing services to AIFs and their service providers, and we have developed a number of solutions to meet the challenges of the AIFM Directive. Our experienced professionals will help you to understand the requirements of the directive, bridge any gaps in your processes and minimise disruption to reaching compliance. We will take you through all aspects of the directive, from risk management and organisational requirement assessment, through implications to depository and administrators, to assurance on policies and procedures.