As the appetite for alternative investments grows in 2017, there's likely to be increased demand for investment funds in the emerging asset classes of public-private infrastructure projects, traditional healthcare, energy consumption, 'hardware' such as ships and aeroplanes, and litigation funding.
That's according to investment fund specialists who addressed a crowd of more than 120 attendees at yesterday's annual London Stock Exchange (LSE) Investment Fund Conference in London, sponsored by Guernsey Finance.
The direction of investment funds was a focus of discussion, in the context of greater demand for new income strategies and the swifter redemption of investments – an advantage of funds in the uncertain post-Brexit environment.
While it was widely agreed that 80 per cent to 85 per cent of shareholders in new funds remain UK-based, Guernsey – which has 124 funds listed in London – remains the number one offshore jurisdiction through which to set up funds for listing on the LSE markets.
"The connection between Guernsey and London is very well established, proven by the fact the island provides almost twice as many listings for London than our nearest offshore rival," said Dominic Wheatley, Chief Executive of Guernsey Finance.
"Fund managers from further afield – for example, North America – who are now discovering the advantages of listing on this side of the world, should know that Guernsey offers them a proven and expert platform from which to launch into the City.”
The panel at the event included Guernsey-based practitioners Chris Gambrell of Praxis Fund Holdings, Tony Mancini of KPMG and Stuart Lawson of Northern Trust. They were joined by Cormac Leech of Victory Park Capital and Luke Simpson of Peel and Hunt.