In the space of less than six months, the acronym UCITS has gone from being a non-issue for Asian hedge fund managers to the next big idea on everyone’s lips.
Thomas Granger and James Walker
Lawyers say they have been fielding a steady stream of enquiries from Asian hedge fund managers wanting to know more about funds that comply with the Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) III Directive, and the list of managers with UCITS funds reads like a Who’s Who of UK-based Asian hedge fund managers.
In the past year, Boyer Allan, Coupland Cardiff, Marshall Wace, Martin Currie, Matrix, Tiburon Partners and Stratton Street, as well as Dublin-based Merrion, have all announced plans to launch at least one UCITS fund either on their own, in partnership with other financial institutions or on a prime broker’s platform.
There has been interest from Asian...