Asset Servicing

Apex Group on Monday said it plans to acquire the Irish depositary business of Bank of America Custodial Services (Ireland) Limited, also known as Bacsil, through European Depositary Bank, one of its Luxembourg-based subsidiaries.

Bacsil is a depositary solution for onshore and offshore funds servicing a multitude of blue-chip clients consisting of Ucits, alternative investment funds and offshore depo-lite fund structures, across a wide range of strategies. Based in Dublin, the Bacsil business provides depositary services to client assets of 71.4 billion dollars.

Swissquote Bank Europe has become the first Luxembourg bank to be able to offer depositary services to digital asset investment funds, having obtained CSSF regulatory approval to act as a depositary bank for Luxembourg-domiciled funds along with its status as Vasp, or regulated Virtual ASset Provider.

European Depositary Bank, part of the Apex group, has appointed managing directors Jean-François Thils, and Robert Steele (photo) as members of the executive management board.

David Rhydderch steps down from the EDB board and has been appointed as global head of financial products and managing director, Emea for the wider Apex Group.

Dublin-based international management company Waystone, a major actor also in the Luxembourg market, has added fund administration to its range of offerings now that its acquisition of Centaur Financial Services, also Dublin-based, has obtained regulatory approval and been completed.

Global financial services provider Apex Group is taking over Alfi Partners, a Luxembourg-based third-party fund marketing specialist, the firm announced today. Alfi Partners will become part of Apex FundRock, the largest third-party manager of investment funds in Luxembourg. Financial details were not disclosed.

Two Luxembourg brand names in the alternative investments business are disappearing. Fund administration firm Pandomus and independent management company Pancura have been renamed under the single new brand of Pandoo.

Apex Group plans to hire more than 500 new fund services experts in Johannesburg this year in order to better service its growing global client base. Asked if this hiring plan was related to the much-discussed industry challenge of attracting new staff in Luxembourg, an Apex spokesperson said South Africa was seen as an “onshore” hiring opportunity following the acquisitions of Sanne and Maitland in 2022.

Luxembourg’s international status as a hub for alternative investments and private equity this year was reinforced as institutional investors sought stability as global equity and bond markets were taking a beating by surging inflation and rising interest rates.

Apex Group in January will bring all its different management company sub-brands under a single brand. Now that the major takeovers of Sanne and Maitland are closed, country head Pierre Weimerskirch told Investment Officer more acquisitions can be expected, although not directly in Luxembourg. “There are some markets where we are still not at the level where we want to be.”

Apex Group said it has been appointed by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management to service its Australian fund. Apex, a Bermuda-headquartered global firm with a strong presence in Luxembourg, has been appointed to provide fund administration and transfer agency services to the Kayne Anderson Rudnick Global Small Cap Fund.