Sectors

Funds and asset management

As the operator of a fund or the owner of an asset manager you will be very familiar with managing complex rules and regulations. The regulatory environment for asset management firms has changed in recent years with several new regulations, including the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MIFID II) and the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD). Our specialist funds and asset management team provides the full range of audit, assurance and advisory services as well as expert advice on the range of complex issues faced by funds and asset management firms.

Is structuring your operations just as important as how you manage them? Undeniably yes. Doing the right things from the outset is critical, be it selecting the right tax structure or obtaining the right FCA authorisation. Our team of experts is here to support individuals and businesses ranging from start-ups to larger well-established groups, both listed and privately owned. We aim to find practical solutions that we can use to our clients’ advantage.   

The unique requirements of the funds and asset management sectors mean that you need access to specialists with the experience to support you. Our areas of expertise include asset management, listed and unlisted funds and private equity houses. Our clients include asset managers, listed investment trusts, listed investment companies, broker/dealers and private equity funds.

Our London team works alongside our international colleagues – particularly in Edinburgh, Dublin, Luxembourg, New York and Switzerland – to offer an integrated international approach that delivers real value.

Specialist expertise

Fund and asset management businesses rely on us for independent, expert advice. Our tax experts understand the importance of compliance and planning, and what this means for our clients.

Our specialist team provide a range of assurance and advisory services ranging from statutory audits, CASS audits and limited assurance reviews through to internal audit, structuring advice and tax considerations. We advise over 70 FCA regulated entities and are engaged to audit and advise over 50 partnerships. We also provide reasonable assurance opinions on over 50 client asset assignments covering most aspects of the client asset sourcebook.

Our specialist outsourcing team will assist you with the preparation of regulatory returns and maintaining your accounting function. This allows you to focus on your business knowing that you are outsourcing part, or all, of your regulatory and financial reporting to a team who is familiar with the sector and regulations under which you operate.

As part of good governance and in maintaining the three lines of defence, internal audit provides assurance to management and boards that systems and controls are in place and that the controls in place mitigate the risks businesses face. Our internal audit team of financial services specialists will support you either on an outsourced or co-sourced basis.

We also have a specialist valuations team who will support you in arriving at the right value. Whilst businesses may be similar, they have many differences, some of which are qualitative and not easily captured in a formula but are nevertheless key factors which influence value. Our audit and valuations teams will invest time to understand your portfolio, your investment strategy and the nature and dynamics of the individual investment. We use benchmarking data, analytical tools and common sense to spot counterintuitive trends and to help validate key inputs.

Our Financial Services Tax team have sector-specific knowledge and can help with tax issues and structuring considerations.