ZURICH, PARIS, LUXEMBOURG & NEW YORK — iCapital1, the global fintech platform driving access to alternative investments for the wealth management industry, has partnered with leading investor services group IQ-EQ to establish a new series of French domiciled funds, which will increase access for individual investors resident in France to global alternative investment opportunities via wealth managers and banks as well as through French unit-linked life insurance policies.
France is one of the largest wealth markets in Europe at $15.7 trillion2, however, only a small fraction of this is invested in private markets3. French domiciled funds are necessary to facilitate greater access to alternative investments, for which there continues to be strong demand. According to France Invest, a record €4.8 billion was invested by individual investors and family offices in private equity in France in 20224.
To capture this opportunity, iCapital appointed IQ-EQ’s Paris-based team to provide a full suite of fund administration services and to act as third-party alternative investment fund manager (AIFM) for iCapital funds that will be launched through the partnership and made available on iCapital Marketplace.
The new French domiciled funds will leverage iCapital’s cutting-edge technology, which provides seamless servicing at scale including the management of complex subscription models, investor onboarding, capital calls and client reporting. Through iCapital’s fully digitalized end-to-end technology platform, wealth managers and banks in France will have the opportunity to access a range of alternative investment funds available on iCapital Marketplace, in French domiciled vehicles. The investment platform also benefits from IQ-EQ’s extensive global fund administration expertise as well as its strong track record in helping global fund managers access French investors via its hosted AIFM platform in France.
“We believe that our new French domiciled funds solutions will be a game changer for asset managers looking to distribute alternative investment funds via the wealth management and insurance channels in France. It will also significantly increase the range of high quality alternative investment opportunities available to banks, wealth managers, and their private clients in France,” said Marco Bizzozero, Head of International at iCapital. “France is a key market for iCapital and we are excited to have the support of IQ-EQ, a world leader in fund services, to provide investors with greater and efficient access to private markets worldwide through French domiciled fund structures.”
Bertrand D’Anselme, CEO of IQ-EQ France, added: “We’re delighted to partner with iCapital in this ambitious new project and look forward to working very closely with the iCapital team in bringing these new funds to the French market. As one of Europe’s largest and most dynamic alternative investment markets, France is a priority growth jurisdiction for IQ-EQ. We are thrilled to align ourselves with another world-class player as we continue offering one of the most complete range of services to both asset managers and distributors in France.”
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About iCapital
Founded in 2013, iCapital is the leading global fintech company powering the world’s alternative investment marketplace. iCapital has transformed how the wealth management, banking, and asset management industries facilitate access to private markets investments for their high-net- worth clients by providing intuitive, end-to-end technology and service solutions; education tools and resources; and robust diligence, compliance, and portfolio analytics capabilities. iCapital’s solutions enable organizations to streamline and scale their operational infrastructure for alternative investments and to provide access to direct investments and feeder funds at lower minimums through simplified digital workflows.
iCapital-managed platforms offer wealth advisors and their high-net-worth clients access to an extensive menu of private investments, including equity, credit, real estate, infrastructure, hedge funds, structured investments, annuities, and risk-managed solutions. iCapital has been recognized on the Forbes Fintech 50 list each year from 2018 to 2023, the Forbes America’s Best Startup Employers in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and MMI/Barron’s Industry Awards as Solutions Provider of the Year in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
As of October 31, 2023, iCapital services over $170 billion in global client assets, of which about $27 billion are from international investors (non-US Domestic) across more than 1,300 funds. Employing 1,200 people globally, iCapital is headquartered in NYC and has offices worldwide, including in Zurich, London, Lisbon, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Toronto.
For more information, visit www.icapital.com | Twitter: @icapitalnetwork | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icapital-network-inc
About IQ-EQ
IQ-EQ is a global, top-tier investor services group with an unrivalled offering to meet the administration, compliance and reporting needs of the investment sector in full and worldwide.
Above all, what makes us different is our people. Operating as trusted partners to our clients, we deliver intelligent solutions through a combination of well-honed technical expertise and strong relationships based on deep understanding. We’re driven by our Group purpose, to power people and possibilities.
We make life easier, more efficient and cost effective for our clients – be they fund managers, pension or sovereign wealth funds, multinational companies or family offices – by providing everything in one place. Our services are underpinned by a Group-wide commitment to ESG and best-in-class technology including a global data platform and innovative proprietary tools supported by in-house experts.
We employ a global workforce of 5,000+ people across 25 jurisdictions and have assets under administration (AUA) exceeding US$750 billion. We work with 13 of the world’s top 15 private equity firms. Also part of the IQ-EQ group of companies are First National Trustee Company, The Private Office, ComplianceAsia and Lymon.
To find out more about IQ-EQ visit iqeq.com
For details of our ESG credentials, please read our Sustainability Report
| iCapital Media Contacts | IQ-EQ Media Contacts |
| North America, Morgan Miller [email protected] +1 919-602-2806UK, Ben Cope [email protected] +44 (0)7503 408 251 France, Karen Le Cannu Italy, Sabrina Ragone Switzerland, Tanja Kocher Germany/Austria, Nadja Vetter | IQ-EQ – Sarah Wisbey, Group Communications Lead [email protected]Benelux and Nordics – Alexandra Newlove [email protected] +44 7860 271 140
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1. iCapital, Inc., and its affiliates (together, “iCapital”).
2. UBS Global Wealth Report 2023, page 50.
3. France Invest estimates that as at Q1 2021 less than 0.1% of French households’ financial wealth was invested in private equity in a broad sense (excluding property). France Invest, Rendre le capital investissement accessible, September 2022, page 7.
4. France Invest and Grant Thornton, Activité des acteurs du capital-investissement français, October 2023, page 14.
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