Fidelity Institutional, which provides clearing, custody and investment management products to registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, family offices and banks, has unveiled a new alternative investments platform.

Fidelity Institutional is a division of Fidelity Investments and through the new offering will provide research, education and third-party due diligence, as well as access to alternative investment products.

Financial advisors and family office professionals will now have access to a variety of alternative investment products including hedge funds, private equity funds and ’40 Act mutual funds, Fidelity said. 

The new platform will also provide access to research and third-party due diligence reports through strategic alliances with firm such as CAIS, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Morningstar.

In addition, through Fidelity’s Alternative Investments Network, financial advisors and family office professionals will have access to a list of alternative investment funds from third-party sponsors with reduced custody fees.

Fidelity will also conduct several “Alternative Investment Forums” to keep clients up to date on the changing landscape of alternative investments.  The firm's alliances with CAIS, GSAM, and Morningstar will provide financial advisors and family office professionals with research and education on alternative investments, it said.

Specifically, CAIS will provide access to hedge funds at reduced minimums; independent third-party due diligence and monitoring provided by Mercer; portfolio construction tools; and an automated electronic subscription process. 

GSAM’s Alternative Investments & Manager Selection Group will provide access to portfolios of external hedge fund and private equity managers across various alternative investment strategies.

Morningstar, meanwhile, will power an education center and provide analyst insights on how and when advisors and their clients might want to use alternatives in their portfolios, as well as market research. Morningstar Associates, an RIA, will provide a list of alternative mutual funds to advisors.