Apex has acquired ARM Swiss Representatives (ASR), an independent Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA)-regulated firm, providing Swiss representation and distribution services to foreign fund managers.
The acquisition expands Apex’s local presence in Switzerland, while also supporting Apex’s expansion strategy for fund marketing and distribution services across Europe.
The acquisition will allow ASR’s client base to access Apex’s single-source solution which includes locally delivered services across depositary, custody, digital banking, management companies, fund administration, middle office and corporate services. It also houses an environmental, social, and governance rating system.
Founded in 2014, ASR provides compliance and regulatory services to 350 fund managers, who manage approximately 630 individual international funds, seeking to market their funds in Switzerland.
In addition, ASR acts as the distributor in Switzerland for a number of fund managers operating across a diverse range of investment strategies.
The acquisition of ASR follows the recent launch of CSSF-regulated FundRock Distribution S.A. to provide fund distribution solutions to non-EU asset managers, and the acquisition of Senasen Group, a digital marketing platform provider designed to connect limited partners and general partners while supporting the capital raising process.
The acquisition of ASR is subject to FINMA approval, expected in Q3 2021.
Peter Hughes, founder and CEO of Apex Group comments: “The acquisition of ASR builds on our industry leading role as one of the first ManCos to offer distribution services in Europe. We look forward to welcoming the team whose extensive knowledge of the Swiss market and regulatory landscape offers a highly attractive and complementary addition to our offering and further strengthens our compelling client proposition.”
Anne Empain, co-founder and CEO at ASR says: “We are delighted to be joining the global Apex Group, which will enable us to access a wider audience of foreign managers and promoters seeking to market their funds and financial services to Swiss investors. Apex has made notable strides in developing its distribution and capital introduction services for European investors, and we look forward to bringing these to Switzerland.”
