Alternative investment fund manager (AIFM) services

Europe represents the world’s second-largest pool of capital after the U.S., with almost €120 billion raised in 2021, making it a highly appealing target for non-EU alternative investment fund managers AIFMs) once they have reached a certain size in their domestic market.

As EU regulators tighten their scrutiny of the marketing and distribution of alternative investment funds (AIFs), selecting how you market to EU professional investors is an important decision.

IQ-EQ has well-established expertise and a strong track record in helping global asset managers access European investors, be it through our AIFM services or our third-party AIFM platforms in Luxembourg, France, Ireland and the UK.

We assist in establishing and operating UCITs, AIF and National Private Placement Regime (NPPR) structures across Europe. We provide the right level of support whether your preference is for a hosted or standalone fund solution.

View our AIFM digital brochure for more information:

AIFM brochure

The Netherlands

The Netherlands has always been a centre for financial innovation, with the world’s first publicly traded company, the first stock exchange, and the first European option exchange. Now it is home to the Euronext Stock Exchange, a pan-European exchange spanning the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, France, Ireland and the UK. Amsterdam is considered one of the leading finance centres in Europe; a financial centre that includes banking, asset management and—in recent years—increased development with fintech enterprises.

Jersey and Guernsey

The AIFMD ‘passport’ allows EU investment funds to be distributed across the EU. However, the EU investment fund market is still predominantly a national market; in fact, only 3% of EU AIFs are registered for sale in more than three member states.

Jersey and Guernsey provide a valuable alternative in the domicile selection for private funds, available only to qualified, sophisticated investors. Jersey and Guernsey AIFs can be marketed to EU member states via the NPPR, a tried and tested route that is quicker and less expensive than the full onshore AIFMD model.

Consideration should also be given to the number of targeted investor domiciles. If only a handful of investor domiciles will be targeted, NPPR can be a suitable route to market. The latest European Commission statistics show that 97% of passportable funds raised money from three or fewer jurisdictions.

NPPR works thanks to bilateral agreements between Jersey’s and Guernsey‘s financial regulators and those in each EU member state. Both jurisdictions have these in place with the majority of EU countries.