HFM WEEK S P E C I A L R E P O R T HOW TO START A HEDGE FUND IN THE EU 2015 COMPLIANCE Facing regulatory challenges PARTNERSHIPS Working with the right people to grow your fund TECHNOLOGY Protecting and strengthening business functions FEATURING Backstop Solutions Group // Bloomberg // Eze Castle Integration // Eze Software Group // Finance Malta // Global Prime Partners Ltd // KB Associates // Linear Investments // Macfarlanes LLP // Maples Fund Services // netConsult 001_HFMHow2EU-2015_cover2.indd 7 16/09/2015 14:41 Enterprise Business Technology That Provides Guaranteed Security, Resilience & Uptime. Speak to netConsult on 020 7100 3310 (cid:127) IT Security & Established in 2002, netConsult is an award winning provider of managed IT Services to the global alternative investment industry. Business Continuity We aim to provide a high level of technical expertise to our clients (cid:127) High Availability combined with a dedication to customer service. Our ethos is based upon designing secure IT platforms which are manageable over the Cloud Platform long term. (cid:127) 24x7x365 Support We are a trusted technology provider to a large portfolio of clients ranging from small start ups to large global funds. netConsult provides a bespoke service to its clients and provides a full suite of IT services (cid:127) Central London including Cloud Services, Outsourced IT, BCP, Virtual CTO and IT Head Office Security. For more information visit www.netconsult.co.uk Untitled-1 1 16/09/2015 14:37 HOW TO START A HEDGE FUND IN THE EU 2015 INTRODUCTION T his year’s edition of HFMWeek’s report How to Start a Hedge Fund in the EU, is delivered in an encouraging period for early-stage funds. Throughout this report, a ‘healthy market’ for hedge fund launches is acknowledged by industry members from an array of different professional backgrounds. These industry members provide insight on the greatest challenges and opportunities facing new funds in the EU. As is to be expected, technology is once again a major talking point in the industry. Technological sophistication can provide start-ups with leverage to compete with larger, established funds. But, perhaps more vitally, utilising technology in an appropriate manner gives managers the tools to meet the plethora of challenges they will face throughout the life of their fund. Many of the challenges that funds face, from day one and beyond, are rooted in regulatory compliance issues. This report provides advice and guidance on how to meet these challenges efficiently and responsibly. There are a number of key service providers that are essential for the success of a fund. Working with the right people, from a technology provider to an external fund administrator, can be the difference between sustained growth and failure for a start-up fund. Industry members throughout this report unanimously emphasise the importance of the right business partnerships for a new fund, and they provide guidance for making the right decisions in this area. The contributing individuals in this report bring together a vast amount of expertise and experience. It is our hope that this year’s edition of HFMWeek’s report How to Start a Hedge Fund in the EU will provide a unique source of information and perspective, while encouraging the development and growth of new funds throughout the EU. Mike Sheen Report editor REPORT EDITOR Mike Sheen T: +44 (0) 20 7832 6628 [email protected] HFMWEEK HEAD OF CONTENT Paul McMillan T: +1 646 891 2118 [email protected] HEAD OF PRODUCTION Claudia Honerjager SUB-EDITORS Luke Tuchscherer, Mary Cooch, Alice Burton, Charlotte Romeyer GROUP COMMERCIAL MANAGER Published by Pageant Media Ltd Lucy Churchill T: +44 (0) 20 7832 6615 [email protected] HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AMERICAS LONDON Tara Nolan +1 (646) 891 2114, [email protected] PUBLISHING ACCOUNT MANAGERS Amy Reed T: +44 (0) 20 7832 Third Floor, Thavies Inn House, 6618 [email protected]; Alex Roper T: +44 (0) 20 7832 6594 [email protected]; David Butroid +44 (0)207 832 3-4 Holborn Circus, London, EC1N 2HA 6613 [email protected] CONTENT SALES Tel: +44 (0) 20 7832 6511 [email protected] CIRCULATION MANAGER T +44 (0) 20 7832 6500 Fay Muddle T: +44 (0) 20 7832 6524 [email protected] CEO Charlie Kerr NEW YORK 200 Park Avenue South Suite 1603, NY 10003 HFMWeek is published weekly by Pageant Media Ltd ISSN 1748-5894 Printed by The Manson Group T +1 646 891 2110 © 2015 all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used without the prior permission from the publisher HFMWEEK.COM 3 003_HFMHow2EU-2015_Intro.indd 3 17/09/2015 10:17 CONTENTS HOW TO START A HEDGE FUND IN THE EU 2015 FUND SERVICES TECHNOLOGY 05 SOLUTIONS FOR AND BEYOND THE START-UP 22 MAKING AN IT INVESTMENT IN YOUR FUND’S STAGE FUTURE Palak Patel, global head of product development for Bloomberg’s Phil Ashley, chief information officer at netConsult, talks to Asset and Investment Manager (AIM), talks to HFMWeek about how HFMWeek about the key IT decisions start-up funds will make choosing the right service providers can help fund managers meet challenges through different stages of their fund’s growth FINANCIAL SERVICES 25 CHOOSING A DOMICILE FUND SERVICES Ivan Grech, head of business development at FinanceMalta, talks 08 CONSISTENT AND STABLE PLAYERS to HFMWeek about Malta’s position as an EU domicile and what it Stephen Lewis, European head of sales and relationship has to offer start-up funds management at Maples Fund Services, talks to HFMWeek about the importance of working with the right service providers, and other RISK MANAGEMENT issues facing start-up funds in the EU 28 STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS: THE OUTSOURCING MEGA-TREND TECHNOLOGY Jerry Lees and Gary Newman, chairman and senior relationship 10 WORKING WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE manager respectively of Linear Investments, discuss six key Dean Hill, executive director at Eze Castle Integration Ltd, discusses issues facing emerging funds, and the emerging trend of strategic the importance of selecting the right business service providers, partnerships and explains some of the key technology factors new funds must consider when starting out in the EU FUND SERVICES 31 COMMON MISTAKES WHEN CHOOSING A CRM FUND SERVICES Robert Goldbaum, vice president at Backstop Solutions Group, 13 THINGS TO CONSIDER talks to HFMWeek about the firm’s offering and what funds should Colin Bridges of Global Prime Partners talks to HFMWeek about the consider when choosing technology providers different challenges associated with launching a fund, and what the right service providers can do to give new funds a competitive edge FUND SERVICES 34 INVESTORS ARE KEY TECHNOLOGY Peter Northcott, executive director at KB Associates, talks to 16 TECH SOLUTIONS TO EARLY-STAGE CHALLENGES HFMWeek about the most important factors for emerging Gerry Gualtieri, senior managing director of Eze Software Group, talks managers to consider and what assistance his firm can offer to HFMWeek about the firm’s client-focused technology solutions 37 SERVICE DIRECTORY LEGAL 19 BRINGING YOUR FUND TO MARKET Simon Thomas and Sam Brooks of Macfarlanes LLP discuss the factors European hedge fund managers need to consider when bringing new products into the market 4 HFMWEEK.COM 004_HFMHow2EU2015_contentsv2.indd 4 24/09/2015 12:17 HOW TO START A HEDGE FUND IN THE EU 2015 FUND SERVICES SOLUTIONS FOR AND BEYOND THE START-UP STAGE PALAK PATEL, GLOBAL HEAD OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FOR BLOOMBERG’S ASSET AND INVESTMENT MANAGER (AIM), TALKS TO HFMWEEK ABOUT HOW CHOOSING THE RIGHT SERVICE PROVIDERS CAN HELP FUND MANAGERS MEET CHALLENGES THROUGH DIFFERENT STAGES OF THEIR FUND’S GROWTH HFMWeek (HFM): What are some of the biggest chal- partner from the beginning can make a big difference for lenges that face a manager looking to start a hedge start-up funds. Establishing the right technology founda- fund? tion and working with the right team of people allows Palak Patel (PP): When you look at the backgrounds and managers to focus on their mandate and leave technology expertise of the managers that are starting hedge funds, issues to their technology partner. generally, these are people whose experience includes Attracting capital is another fundamental challenge. picking stocks, managing portfolios and managing risk. However, fund managers who can demonstrate they have All of a sudden they are faced with challenges such as invested in a robust infrastructure to support their com- picking office space, making sure pliance, operations, and reporting they have network communica- can position themselves at a dis- tions, ensuring they implement tinct competitive advantage. Palak Patel the right technology and hire the Often clients come to leads global product ESTABLISHING THE RIGHT right people to help them raise Bloomberg looking for an opera- development for capital. There is a myriad of oper- tional tool and a technology tool. Bloomberg’s Asset and TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION ational challenges that a start-up But one of the things they also get Investment Manager (AIM), hedge fund has to face, and often with Bloomberg is the benefit of an enterprise trading, AND WORKING WITH THE managers have little experience our community. The diverse com- compliance and operations of dealing with these operational munity on our system and the platform that serves the RIGHT TEAM OF PEOPLE hurdles. events we host provide opportu- investment management What we are doing at nity to discuss capital and invest- community. ALLOWS MANAGERS TO Bloomberg is helping start-up ment challenges with colleagues fund managers with the opera- throughout the industry. FOCUS ON THEIR MANDATE tional challenges and investment challenges they are going to face. HFM: How can a new hedge AND LEAVE TECHNOLOGY In addition to helping managers fund best handle all of the check all of the boxes on the tech- demands from current and ISSUES TO THEIR nology and operational side of pending regulations? running their business, we are also PP: Achieving regulatory compli- TECHNOLOGY PARTNER providing tools that help them ance is paramount for any asset make timely and accurate invest- manager, but can become more ” ment decisions. difficult when you have deficient Building the technology infra- technology resources or a piece- structure to support a new hedge fund’s trading strategies meal approach to addressing all of your requirements. and operations can be a daunting challenge, so managers In addition to having the right technology that is going must be highly selective when they choose technology to help hedge fund managers comply with regulation, partners. it is also important to have a technology partner that There are a number of different technology vendors out has the resources to keep up with regulatory change. At there that help people solve very specific challenges that Bloomberg we have operations in the Americas, Europe managers are likely to face. But then there are technology and Asia. With these operations comes well-resourced partners like Bloomberg that are uniquely positioned to regulatory teams. These teams not only help our Asset solve a number of different problems. and Investment Manager (AIM) business, but help us It is extremely important to choose the right technology understand what changes we need to make to our order partner that is going to scale with the fund as it grows its and execution management solutions, electronic trading operations. When you start off with, for example, $25m to platforms and our analytics and data offerings. We benefit $50m, you have a set of challenges. But as you grow and internally from that scale, but in turn, our clients benefit you are managing closer to $100m up to $1bn, the level from the fact that we have a presence in almost every juris- of transparency of your operational control required by diction we operate in. We can ensure their technology is investors increases. Working with the right technology able to keep up with regulatory change, as well as helping HFMWEEK.COM 5 005_006_HFMHow2EU15_Bloomberg.indd 5 17/09/2015 11:24 HOW TO START A HEDGE FUND IN THE EU 2015 FUND SERVICES them understand the changes that are going to ensure accurate position data, allowing manag- impact you in the future. ers to make investment decisions from a single It is important to take a holistic approach to BLOOMBERG OFFERS A screen. compliance requirements. This holistic approach comes from the realisation that client’s require- SUITE OF SOLUTIONS FOR HFM: How does your offering differentiate ments are likely to change as they grow or enter itself? What can Bloomberg provide a start- new asset classes, strategies or markets. Their tech- START-UP FUNDS THAT up fund that other technology providers can- nology should support the full spectrum of needs not? PROVIDES THEM WITH such as pre-and-post-trade compliance, audit trail PP: Bloomberg offers a unique suite of capabili- reporting, transaction cost analysis and message ties for start-up funds that are largely delivered A SOLID TECHNOLOGY archiving so that they can have confidence that all through Bloomberg’s desktop, which fund man- their bases are covered. FOUNDATION SO THEY agers and traders are generally already familiar with, or as an auxiliary component. However, HFM: What is Bloomberg offering to hedge CAN HANDLE DAY-TO-DAY to the hedge fund manager, we are delivering fund start-ups? everything they need in an integrated fashion and PP: Bloomberg offers a suite of solutions for start- TRADING AND COMPLIANCE through a single point of contact so they do not up funds that provides them with a solid tech- have to deal with multiple vendors and technol- ACTIVITIES nology foundation so they can handle day-to-day ogy solutions that are not compatible. The suite trading and compliance activities. These solutions of services includes professional-grade technol- ” are designed to be scalable and flexible to accom- ogy with a fully-managed, hosted infrastructure modate future growth. backed by a global service and support team. We aim to help start-up funds simplify investment Even though we do not provide a consulting service, we operations, reduce operational risk, and minimise upfront deliver our solutions with a consultative approach. Our infrastructure costs and long-term overhead. These are the staff has experience of covering hedge funds of all different things that all funds need to consider, but are especially sizes that trade across all different asset classes and have important to funds in the start-up phase. different trading strategies. Our clients have the benefit For start-ups, Bloomberg’s AIM product provides of being serviced by experienced staff, in a manner that is multi-asset trade execution, portfolio management tools, beyond the standard, transactional approach. operations and regulatory compliance functionality. Our One of our key strengths is our integration with the compliance tools provide real-time pre-trade, post-trade Bloomberg Professional service, or terminal, and the com- and end-of-day monitoring for client, firm and regula- munity of professionals that exist on the terminal. This tory requirements. They include advanced rule building, provides access to our communication tools and our other reporting and complete audit history, ability to monitor community tools combined with diverse liquidity pools and investigate trades and evaluate performance to ensure across multiple asset-classes. This combination is a key compliance with best execution, mandates and authorised differentiator for us in the market. counterparties and stocks, as well as conduct surveillance In addition, Bloomberg offers a fully hosted platform, so to monitor adherence to regulations. there are no servers to manage or upgrade. Our platform On the execution side, clients have access to our vast includes disaster recovery, mobile access and FIX connec- order routing network, and deep integration with our tivity to defined prime brokers and fund administrators. electronic trading systems including a market leading What also must be taken into account, is the integration Execution Management System in EMSX. From an opera- of news and event information into our workflows. Through tions perspective, we provide out of the box connectiv- the Bloomberg Professional service, hedge fund managers ity to multiple prime brokers and fund admins as well as have access to the data, news and analytics relied upon by a reconciliation tools. We give funds the tools required to community of over 325,000 subscribers globally. n 6 HFMWEEK.COM 005_006_HFMHow2EU15_Bloomberg.indd 6 17/09/2015 11:24 Take Investor Relations to the Next Level with Backstop. Collaborate. Instantly access data via the cloud. Communicate. Easily distribute newsletters and fact sheets. Coordinate. Manage meetings, notes, calls and documents. LONDON | CHICAGO | NEW YORK | LOS ANGELES +44 020 3764 7090 | WWW.BACKSTOPSOLUTIONS.COM Untitled-1 1 16/09/2015 14:23 HOW TO START A HEDGE FUND IN THE EU 2015 CONSISTENT AND STABLE PLAYERS STEPHEN LEWIS, EUROPEAN HEAD OF SALES AND RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AT MAPLES FUND SERVICES, TALKS TO HFMWEEK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING WITH THE RIGHT SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND OTHER ISSUES FACING START-UP FUNDS IN THE EU HFMWeek (HFM): How encouraging would you say employees, on average, are compliance professionals. That the current market is for new hedge funds launching does not even take into account information technology in the EU? and data management staff. Stephen Lewis (SL): From a service provider perspective, To help circumvent this trend, new launches can engage the current market for new hedge fund launches is gener- with specialised service providers who take a holistic ally quite encouraging. But is also very much dependent view of the regulatory environment. In addition to help- on a fund’s characteristics. Certain services provided by ing reduce the significant regulatory risk that the current fund administrators are unquestionably becoming natural environment presents, they can also provide the regula- extensions of day-to-day fund operations, but as fund man- tory and data professionals, systems and advisory services agers begin to view them as such, they are also becoming required to ensure compliance. far less willing to accept higher fees for what they believe Stephen Lewis is the should be standard provisions. As a result, there tends to HFM: There are a number of factors that play an regional head of sales and be a particular size and level of activity that some larger important role in the success of a hedge fund. From relationship management service providers would want to see before engaging with the fund administrator to the prime broker, auditor, in Europe at Maples Fund a fund. Fortunately for some of the smaller funds and new legal counsel, and technology provider, how impor- Services. He has over 25 launches, there is a growing segment of mid-sized players tant is it to work with the right key service providers? years of experience in the that can provide them with high SL: Service providers can unques- financial services sector and levels of service at a lower price tionably be an integral part of a is responsible for oversight, point to support their entry into fund’s success. Beyond the solu- and expansion of the fund the market. tions themselves, service pro- administration and middle WE BELIEVE THAT FUND Regulatory approval is also a viders differentiate themselves office businesses across the major part of the work required to by having a deep understanding firm’s European offices. ADMINISTRATORS TODAY get a new fund off the ground and and appreciation of the propri- can be quite onerous. However, etary elements of the systems and MUST MOVE AWAY FROM the environment today is much operational needs that set manag- more promising than it used to ers apart, and maintain a commit- THE TRADITIONAL SERVICE be with an increased number of ment to fostering meaningful rela- specialised service providers that tionships with them. At Maples PROVIDER ROLE TO BECOME can help guide a fund through the Fund Services, we pride ourselves process. on our philosophy of continuous A TRUE EXTENSION OF innovation and forward thinking, HFM: What are the greatest built on the pillars of proven pro- THEIR CLIENTS’ OPERATIONS regulatory challenges that new cesses, experienced people and funds will face in the EU? flexible technology. We recognise TO TRULY ADD VALUE TO SL: Simply being aware of the that a standardised approach to multitude of regulations can be outsourcing no longer applies and THE INVESTMENT DECISION- one of the biggest challenges new service providers must be dynam- funds face. Once that awareness is ic in responding to clients’ needs MAKING PROCESS established, funds are then tasked as they evolve. with understanding and executing Additionally, service providers ” against each specific regulation, can further add value by maintain- a process that can be especially ing relationships with other pro- daunting. Each structure and each strategy is faced with viders of complementary services. As part of the Maples different requirements and ongoing compliance to various group, we have access to legal expertise from international regulations, which often requires a significant investment law firm, Maples and Calder, and fiduciary services via in infrastructure and operational resources. In fact, The Maples Fiduciary, a division of MaplesFS. We also main- Cost of Compliance industry report produced by AIMA, tain relationships with a number of prime brokers, audi- the MFA and KPMG, showed that 15% of hedge fund tors and other key hedge fund service providers. 8 HFMWEEK.COM 008_009_HFMHow2EU15_MaplesFS.indd 8 16/09/2015 10:27 FUND SERVICES HFM: What are the most important factors so an administrator that provides a comprehen- new funds should consider when choosing a sive core offering that can be customised with hedge fund administrator? IT IS IMPORTANT FOR FUNDS other ancillary services can be quite attractive. SL: Selecting a hedge fund administrator requires careful thought and consideration. There is also TO CONSIDER THEIR FUTURE HFM: How can the right hedge fund admin- a great deal of uncertainty for buyers of fund istrator help a new fund to succeed? GROWTH AND EVOLUTION administration services in the wake of recent SL: Previously, service providers were simply acquisitions, exits of major players and general required to be timely and accurate but today’s AND HOW THE SERVICE industry consolidation. Fund managers should fund manager demands a more robust, com- focus their search on consistent and stable play- PROVIDERS THEY ENGAGE prehensive offering. A good fund administra- ers who can provide high quality service and tor must now go above and beyond to provide a high-touch experience. We believe that fund WITH CAN CONTINUE TO superior industry insight and expertise, dem- administrators today must move away from the onstrate technological prowess and offer cus- traditional service provider role to become a true SUPPORT THEM AS THEIR tomisable solutions that meet the needs of each extension of their clients’ operations to truly add individual client. NEEDS CHANGE value to the investment decision-making process. Perhaps most importantly, a relationship It is important for funds to consider their with the right fund administrator should foster ” future growth and evolution and how the ser- trust and confidence. The fund administrator vice providers they engage with can continue to support should absorb as many operational pain points as pos- them as their needs change. For example, a new launch sible so that the fund manager can focus on his core may need a more basic set of services than a larger, more competencies and singular goal of generating alpha for established fund with more sophisticated requirements investors. n HFMWEEK.COM 9 008_009_HFMHow2EU15_MaplesFS.indd 9 16/09/2015 10:27 HOW TO START A HEDGE FUND IN THE EU 2015 WORKING WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE DEAN HILL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT EZE CASTLE INTEGRATION LTD, DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF SELECTING THE RIGHT BUSINESS SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND EXPLAINS SOME OF THE KEY TECHNOLOGY FACTORS NEW FUNDS MUST CONSIDER WHEN STARTING OUT IN THE EU HFMWeek (HFM): Are you seeing a healthy market tions. We see a lot of service-provider companies com- for new hedge fund launches in the EU? ing into the market with little or no experience and no Dean Hill (DH): Yes. I think going into 2016 we will concept of what it takes to service a client in such a see an increase in terms of the amount of new hedge demanding and fast-paced environment. fund launches across the UK and European mar- Eze Castle Integration has been building up its repu- kets. Not only are these launches coming more fre- tation for over 20 years now. We will continue to do so quently, but their size, structure and launch AuM through our dedication of servicing to the alternative is greater than anything we have seen in the last investment industry. two-to-three years. It is certainly on the uptake. What we are seeing across the market, in terms of hedge-fund launches, is the selection of the right part- HFM: What do you see as the greatest regulatory ners and providers across all aspects of the business is Dean Hill is executive challenges facing new hedge funds in the EU? absolutely critical. director of Eze Castle DH: Overall compliance and regulatory stipulations Integration UK and also driven down from the SEC and ultimately picked up by HFM: How much of a consideration should cyber- leads the international the FCA are driving significant changes in the way that security be for early-stage funds? new business teams in new, and indeed existing, hedge DH: Cyber-security has been London and Asia. Mr. funds operate. Accountability the industry buzzwords for Hill’s career in technology across business functions have 2015. It will continue to be so started with one of the UK’s put an end to the days of ‘box right through 2016 and possibly largest telecoms providers ticking’ in areas such as due dili- beyond. where he held numerous CYBER-SECURITY SHOULD gence. The most common cyber- positions from engineering I think the biggest challenge security threats that we are to business development BE TAKEN AS A SERIOUS that COOs are now facing is seeing mainly consist of ‘spear- and account management. that they are now much more phishing’ and other phishing CONSIDERATION FOR ANY accountable for areas of their attacks on companies and indi- business and operations where viduals within those companies. FIRM THAT COULD BE they may not have significant We have had clients that have insight. Technology, especially been attacked and we have seen PERCEIVED AS AN EASY the growing focus on cyber-secu- it happen to other companies in rity, is one such area. As a result, the marketplace. TARGET FOR FRAUDULENT choosing reputable and estab- Cyber-security should be tak- lished outsource partners is key. en as a serious consideration for OR MALICIOUS ATTACK any firm that could be perceived HFM: There are a number of as an easy target for fraudulent ” factors that play an important or malicious attack. role in the success of a hedge Criminals are becoming more fund. From the prime broker to and more sophisticated in their fund administrator, auditor, legal counsel, and tech- approach to corporate fraud and extracting money from nology provider, how important is it to work with the victims. Security in any firm should be one of, if not right key service providers? the highest, priority. It is important in order to protect DH: Selecting the right service providers is probably business, reputation and members of staff. the most important decision a new or established hedge Again this comes back to selecting the right vendors fund will make. to outsource services to. It will have a direct impact on Competition in the market is at its highest at all lev- security risks and averting these risks. At Eze Castle els. Funds are trying to attract institutional investment Integration, for example, we have built layers of security from other regions, and investors are looking to work into our Eze Private Cloud solutions to help ensure with individuals with a solid pedigree and companies user data is protected from the data centre to the that have a solid background in providing proven solu- desktop. 10 HFMWEEK.COM 010_011_HFMHow2EU15_ECI.indd 10 16/09/2015 10:34
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