Outsourced models are changing : A response to market conditions

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Outsourced models are well ingrained within the private capital fund industry, in part because fund structures are often domiciled within a different jurisdiction (e.g. Channel Islands, Luxembourg) to the core finance function of the fund manager (e.g. UK).

We have also seen that outsourcing has been used as a tool within the industry to enhance performance by improving operational efficiency, managing risk and reducing cost.

Historically, more material adjustments to existing outsourcing arrangements and the use of third-party service providers have correlated with market downturns as inflexion points. For example, following the Global Financial Crisis it has now become uncommon for fund managers and GPs to replicate the fund accounting maintained by their fund administrator for reconciliation purposes.

Flash forward to today, following an extended period of challenging fundraising conditions (noting a contraction of 22% in global private capital fundraising in 2023[1]), a high degree of fundraising concentration to the biggest managers and general deal inactivity, fund managers and GPs are once again more actively undertaking operating model reviews in order to enhance performance.

There are also supply-side factors with the emergence of alternative service providers with market differentiating features. This includes fund administrators that have more highly tailored service models and optimised technology or specialist software providers and consultants seeking to solve specific challenges through automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Market perceptions have also shifted, whereby it’s more commonplace for fund managers and GPs to transfer existing fund administration mandates to new providers when faced with an opportunity to improve client service levels and reduce cost. With the right process and governance in place, it is a much easier process to transfer existing structures and services to a new provider and can be beneficial to consider such a transition sooner than later.

As a next generation fund administrator, Belasko has developed a programme that supports fund managers and GPs through an operating model review. Our fund administration solutions are precise, tailored and designed for performance.

If this would be of interest to discuss further, please do get in contact with Nick McHardy, our Group Head of Funds at [email protected].

And finally, stay tuned for our next article where we’ll explore the value drivers that managers and GPs may want to consider when embarking on their operating model reviews.

[1] Source: Preqin.

Belasko appoints new Group Head of Marketing

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Belasko is pleased to announce the expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of Alice Heald as Group Head of Marketing.

In her new role, Alice will leverage her extensive 10+years of financial services marketing experience to spearhead strategic marketing initiatives across Belasko’s core markets.

“We’re delighted to welcome Alice to our team,” said Ross Youngs, Chief Commercial Officer at Belasko. “We’re setting our sights on ambitious growth goals in the coming years and now, with Alice on board, she can lead the charge in strengthening our marketing strategy, pushing boundaries and elevating the Belasko brand to new heights”.

Prior to her role at Belasko, Alice has worked at companies including SS&C Technologies and Intertrust Group (now CSC), where she’s gained invaluable insights and experience into executing bespoke marketing campaigns tailored to the private capital funds and financial services sectors.

On her appointment, Alice said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the team at such an exciting time of rapid growth, change and evolution for this business. I’m here to challenge the status quo, redefine the way we do things and be bigger and bolder in our approach to really set ourselves apart from the masses. Most of all, I’m excited to be a driving force of growth and innovation that will help take Belasko to the next level. Let’s get started!”

Celebrating International Women’s Day

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To celebrate International Women’s Day, women across Belasko’s offices caught up to discuss their current experiences as women in the finance industry.

Our team give some advice on how to break through in the industry as a woman and share stories on the inspiration they’ve found in their colleagues within Belasko.

Watch the full video below.

 

Belasko acquires Jersey-based family office

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Belasko has acquired Jersey-based family office business, BKS Family Office Limited, to complement and expand Belasko’s existing family office and private wealth offering.

The deal increases the experience and capacity across the group in Jersey, Guernsey, Luxembourg and the UK.

Paul Lawrence, Group Managing Director at Belasko, said: ‘We’re delighted to have come to this agreement with BKS which will build the scale of our operating model in Jersey whilst continuing to deliver outstanding client service. The acquisition of BKS delivers critical scale to our Jersey business but also enhances our private wealth and family office services across all of our operating jurisdictions. This acquisition cements our commitment to Jersey and our continued innovation in the family office sector.’

Chris Bevan, Managing Director at BKS, added, ‘We were looking for the right partner to help BKS in the next chapter of its growth whilst supporting succession goals for our leadership team. The personal relationships with Paul and the entire Belasko team gave us the confidence that we could do this whilst continuing to look after our clients and all members of the team.’

The combined Jersey business will relocate to the existing BKS offices on New Street with 35 highly experienced private wealth practitioners, another milestone for the Belasko Group.

How is ESG impacting everything, everywhere and everyone

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I would imagine that by now, ESG is close to being a better-known acronym than KYC in financial services. This is ultimately because ESG dominates news headlines on a daily basis and as a consequence, buyers of goods and services now differentiating where they allocate capital – seeking out businesses pushing to make a difference.  

This means ESG or sustainable finance is becoming more than just ‘buzzwords’. Capital inflow into ESG-related funds more than doubled in 2021 compared to the previous year and analysts expect ESG AUM to reach c20% of Global AUM or $33.9trn by 2026 ($18.4trn 2021) according to PwC.   

Ross Youngs, Chief Commercial Officer at Belasko, identifies how to navigate the rising waters, the impact on our clients and the business’ proactive approach to lead the way.  

How are our clients impacted? 

Our fund clients are impacted to varying degrees depending on their size and marketing plans. Many share our proactive approach and have, generally speaking, adopted two different routes depending on the level of regulation required. This includes:  

  1. The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).   
  2. The Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI) : – Where SFDR has not been relevant, our clients have chosen voluntary compliance with the PRI. (The PRI is a set of ESG principles developed by investors to have a positive sustainable impact in the global financial system.) 

Unpacking the SFDR 

There are three levels of regulation applicable to funds marketed in Europe under the SFDR:    

Article 9 covers funds that have a sustainable objective /outcome. They have strict requirements on how they achieve their goals. There has been a great deal of focus on this category of fund and as such, the burden of evidential reporting is very high. This has led to c40% or $175bn of article 9 funds reclassifying to article 8.   

Article 8 is for funds that promote positive environment, social and governance characteristics but do not have those as their overarching objectives.   

Meanwhile, article 6 is for funds that do not integrate any kind of sustainability into their investment.  

These three levels of regulation can be considered stepping stones depending on where the business or fund is on its ESG journey.  

How has ESG impacted Belasko?  

The team and I at Belasko recognise that ESG has several positive impacts when successfully incorporated into business strategy. We are not required by regulation to report on sustainability however, we have chosen to partner with Terra Instinct to create a Responsible Business Policy.   

We have dedicated resources to steward the implementation of our policy which requires a group-wide committee, the definition of sustainable metrics relevant to Belasko, measurement and target setting. This resource also includes an annual report for clients and investors on our sustainable journey.    

I envisage that businesses like ours will soon have mandatory reporting on ESG areas in years to come. We deem it essential to be a leader in this area and will continue taking proactive efforts to stay ahead of the curve.  

How can we help you?  

No matter the complexity of compliance with the PRI or SFDR, there are common challenges with which we can assist.   

  1. The first challenge is defining a policy of responsible investment. The policy must consider the fund’s impact on ESG factors and then set appropriate data points with which to measure and track positive impact according to the goals set.   
  2. Data collection sounds easy, but it is not standardised across markets and countries so the sophistication and resource availability of portfolio companies to stream up the data sets can vary considerably. This is a major hurdle for our clients.  
  3. Regulation and investor demand are evolving at pace. Our clients do not usually have internal resources to dedicate to ESG and therefore rely on Belasko to keep them advised as to what’s next and how to remain compliant.  

Belasko has developed an end-to-end solution in partnership with Terra Instinct to power auditable data collection. It is helpful to have a specialist like Terra Instinct to define policy and collect, validate and where data is not available provide reasonable industry estimates. The benefit of having an advisory expert is of critical importance to ensure data quality, meaning it is auditable and reporting to investors (on which decisions are made) is accurate and reliable.   

Doubts?  

It should be clear by now that ESG is not going anywhere and there is a market expectation to consider sustainability in our personal and business lives. We must adopt positive impacting principles going forward.  

If you would like to get ahead of the curve and prepare yourself for the ESG future, get in touch with Ross at [email protected]. 

Channel Islands Cricket League returns with new sponsor

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Following a three-year break, Guernsey Cricket and Jersey Cricket can announce the return of the Channel Islands Cricket League to the inter-insular cricket calendar. The combined league will also welcome Belasko as the title sponsor for the next two years.  

The previous iteration of the pan-island cricket league was ceased in 2019 due to the global pandemic with current champions ATF St Ouen Springfield taking the crown in a hard-fought victory over Farmers Caesareans.

Commenting on the deal for Guernsey Cricket, CEO Mark Latter said, “It has been great to work with Lee Meloy and Sarah Gomersall in Jersey to bring the return of the Belasko Channel Island Cricket League. There is excited anticipation at the renewing of rivalries at inter-insular club level. To be able to attract a title sponsor of the profile of Belasko speaks volumes for the interest such cross water fixtures can create.” 

Sarah Gomersall, Jersey Cricket CEO, added “The Belasko Channel Island Cricket League will add more variety and healthy competition to our club cricket calendar. Securing the return of inter-island club cricket has been a top priority for us. We are delighted to have secured Belasko as the title sponsor for the next two years and thank them for their assistance.” 

Paul Lawrence, Group Managing Director at Belasko, said: “The team at Belasko is committed to supporting our local communities and we’re pleased that our support will help the Channel Islands Cricket League get back off the ground after three years. We are thrilled to bring our two Channel Island offices together for a summer of cricket.” 

The Belasko Channel Island Cricket League of course relies on inter-island travel and timings to suit a cricket match and Guernsey and Jersey Cricket wish to extend their thanks to Brent Blondel, and all at Blue Islands, for their work and flexibility in creating the required flight schedules to allow the matches to take place. 

Fixtures are scheduled to commence earlier than usual with the first game 27th May and they run through various weekends until the Final to be held in Jersey on 26th August. More information on the Belasko Channel Island Cricket League can be found at www.guernseycricket.com or CLICK HERE. 

Belasko appoints Director in Jersey

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Belasko continues to strengthen its senior leadership with the appointment of Scott Nelson as Client Services Director in Jersey.  

Scott has a multi-disciplinary background in corporate, private wealth and fund administration with more than 20 years of experience in offshore financial services. Scott also has considerable expertise working with private and listed clients from a broad range of jurisdictions and sectors.  

Paul Lawrence, Group Managing Director at Belasko, said: ‘I’m delighted to strengthen our offering in Jersey with Scott’s appointment. He joins us with a wealth of expertise and will be a great addition to our growing team on the island.’  

In his new role, he will be working with Belasko’s fiduciary team to develop corporate strategy and utilise his experience in regulatory and financial technology to maintain excellent client experiences and manage business risk. 

Paul Lawrence

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Paul joined Belasko in 2019 to lead the transformation of Belasko into the Next Generation of Fiduciary and Fund administration partner.

His career spans over 30 years in Financial Services including banking, private wealth and private capital and covers multiple jurisdictions. He has significant experience leading teams supporting clients investing into illiquid assets, particularly Real Estate, Private Equity and Debt. Paul has held board positions for a number of Management Companies and asset holding vehicles, where he brings his experience and focus on strong governance to add value to client structures.

Adrian Franklin

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Adrian joined Belasko in 2020 to Head up Group Operations and drive forward the strategic priorities of the Group.

His experience has been across listed, private equity, partnerships and family owned businesses. He is a business transformation and project specialist with over 25 years experience in senior financial services roles covering change management, business operations, financial control and information technology.

Adrian is focused on working with businesses to implement strategic change and deliver sustainable solutions. He has significant experience in system implementations, acquisitions and mergers, delivering regulatory change, transitional services agreements, business outsourcing and global procedural control changes. He uses his wealth of operational experience to work effectively with senior stakeholders, bring the best out of his peer group and empower the functional teams he directs. Adrian has a Masters in Business Administration from Herriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.

Ross Youngs

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Ross joined Belasko in 2021 to lead the Groups commercial growth strategy in Private Capital Fund Administration, Corporate Administration and Fiduciary services.

He has over 20 years’ experience in the Offshore Fund and Fiduciary markets holding leadership roles in Alternative Assets, Sales, Relationship Management and Client Service for a global provider.

Working with managers across the UK, US, Europe and Middle East, Ross has helped clients launch fund and investment structures in the Private and Public markets focusing on Private Capital and Real Assets.  His experience covers multi location, complex fund servicing and has a strong understanding of Fund Administration, Banking, Financing, Custody and Depositary Services.

Ross seeks to create proactive partnerships with clients based upon trust, a long-term strategic commitment and great service.

Ross is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Banking and holds a BSC (Hons) degree in Financial Services.