Apex's recently hosted several UCITS seminars for fund managers in the Middle East - John Bohan reports

21 July 2010

John Bohan, Managing Director of Apex Fund Services (Ireland) Ltd. gives "straight from the horses mouth" feedback from fund managers based in Dubai , Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, on the back of Apex's recent UCITS seminars for fund managers in the Middle East

Each seminar created a lively debate about the global distribution potential of UCITS, the process of establishing UCITS funds in Ireland and the advantages of listing UCITS on the Irish Stock Exchange.


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During the recent seminars Apex hosted for fund managers throughout the Gulf region, feedback from all of the events was that investor interest in regulated products is growing and investors are monitoring their development closely.

Despite the growing levels of financial activity and appetite for UCITS, clients in the MENA region are not limiting the launch of UCITS funds for distribution in Europe. With UCITS being acceptable for sale in many jurisdictions beyond just Europe, the flexible nature of these products makes them very attractive packages and there is no doubt they are being capitalized on.

During the entire roadshow the recurring feedback we received from investors was that the additional confidence UCITS bring, with their increased regulation, is proving to be a significant attraction. The fact that UCITS funds come from a robustly-regulated (EU and OECD) environment and have a high emphasis on investor protection, means that they are increasingly being seen as a product that asset managers need to have within their product range.

The roadshows finished on an exciting note.  It was evident that there is a lot of new activity coming out of the Middle East and fund launches are happening - many with alternative strategies that can be pursued within the flexible UCITS framework.  

 

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