Alexforbes has announced its entrance into the R500-billion discretionary fund management (DFM) market with the launch of Investment Solutions by Alexforbes.
Investment Solutions by Alexforbes is a new unit within Alexforbes. It is separate from the investments multi-manager and internal adviser team, to preserve independence, objectivity and confidence in the solutions provided to independent financial advisers (IFAs).
The unit provides IFAs with access to previously inaccessible asset classes, such as hedge funds, private markets, and infrastructure investments.
“These asset classes offer compelling diversification and performance opportunities, serving as building blocks for superior investment solutions. Offshore investing is another significant opportunity for IFAs to create value for clients, but the risks and complexities are numerous. Our partnership with Mercer, a global investment leader, equips IFAs via our DFM with world-class insights covering more than 11 000 global strategies to empower their advice,” Dawie de Villiers (pictured), the chief executive of Alexforbes, said last week.
“IFAs will have access to the same trusted investment advice and support capabilities currently used by South Africa’s most prominent investment consultants, corporates, and retirement funds. These capabilities encompass South Africa’s leading comprehensive investment manager research process, offshore solutions facilitated by our partnership with Mercer, previously inaccessible investment classes through our private markets programme, and specialised multi-managed investment portfolios,” De Villiers said.
Over the past decade, DFMs have gained prominence, managing R500bn in investments, with projections indicating further growth.
“Our experience is that top financial advisers excel in providing high-quality advice to their clients. The rise of DFMs has allowed these advisers to focus on their strengths and collaborate with specialist providers who enhance their investment advice. This mirrors our approach at Alexforbes, where our consultants deliver the best advice and our investments multi-manager is dedicated to investment research, selection, and solutioning. Entering this space with a distinctive offering for IFAs is a natural extension of our proven capabilities that already serve over R450bn in assets under administration,” De Villiers said.
The introduction of Investment Solutions by Alexforbes aligns with the group’s strategic objective of becoming a trusted partner to IFAs. This complements the acquisitions of investment platform OUTvest and insurance administration services company TSA Administration to meet their requirements.
