The hardest part of forging strong relationships with discretionary fund managers and boutique private banks is convincing these organisations that they would benefit from third-party independent advice. Many businesses struggle to admit they need outside help in order to deliver the best structured investment services to their clients.
However, the work Affinity Capital does with discretionary fund managers and boutique private banks has led to some of our most rewarding partnerships. We’ve found that our software and independent pricing abilities, combined with extensive trading floor experience, is the perfect complement for the research-based, analytical approach that fund managers and private banks tend to favour.
These collaborations have resulted in deep insights, effective thought leadership and the creation of industry-leading structured note programmes that offer solid growth and varying degrees of capital protection. The benefits for discretionary fund managers and private banks that take the plunge can be substantial, both for themselves and their clients.
Discretion is at the heart of our offering, and we understand how important this factor is for many fund managers and private banks. Affinity doesn’t mind being an organisation’s secret resource; we’re fully committed to delivering bespoke advice and services as a silent partner.
Our panel of more than 20 investment banks and proprietary pricing models enables us to obtain best-price costing on structured investments via our wholesale, institutional approach.
Ultimately, retail clients receive retail prices, which is why we set as a minimum for our discretionary fund managers and private banks that they have £50 million or more to invest into structures to gain the maximum benefits.
We believe structured notes are crucial for optimising clients’ portfolios, as they offer predefined returns and an important hedge against other assets. As such, discretionary fund managers and private banks that offer market-leading structured investments can significantly set themselves apart from competitors.
Affinity’s vision is to revolutionise how investors approach structured investments and derivatives. It’s no secret that the asset class received negative media speculation following the Global Financial Crisis.
We recognise the need to educate and inform investors on the benefits of structures, and we’re keen to partner with like-minded organisations to achieve this aim. Affinity is therefore always open to the possibility of equity partnerships with discretionary fund managers and private banks that want to create their own structured note programmes.
Taking this step is a huge commitment for all parties, but the advantages can be enormous. Affinity brings to the table thought leadership, branding, strategic planning, extensive experience and the wholesale structured investment product, among a range of other key skills and tools.
When used in conjunction with our partners’ existing distribution network and growth aspirations, the results are not only profitable for our clients but also beneficial for the greater good, the investors.
Affinity knows it can be difficult for discretionary fund managers and private banks to seek external advice on investments, but taking the first step could pave the road to greater industry knowledge and innovative idea sharing.
Our team has worked on the trading floors of the world’s most successful investment banks, which gives us unique insights into the structured investment space and how to organise deals that benefit everyone.
Organisations that choose to have us by their side can be confident that we’ll level the playing field and secure best-price costing across a broad range of structured investment products. Pricing aside, the benefits of growing market share, building assets under management and growing client wealth is just the beginning.