An example of the continued vigour and variety in the Swiss external asset management space.

Swiss asset management firm Alpen Partners has announced that it has secured a portfolio management licence throughout Canada, enabling it to offer investment advice for Canadian clients. 

The firm, which has offices in Zurich, Geneva and Lugano in Switzerland, and already registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, has 20 partners serving clients in more than 30 countries. Its founder and managing partner is Pierre Gabris, formerly of Lombard Odier.

This is the highest level of regulation you can achieve in Canada, allowing among others to advise clients on Canadian securities and book clients with Canadian banks," Gabris told this news service.

In a statement, the firm said: “For many years Alpen Partners has been working closely with Canadian clients…investors that know that a globally-diversified investment portfolio means potentially higher returns with lower volatility. They appreciate the ability to hold a portion of their assets in Switzerland at a Swiss private bank managed by Alpen Partners."  “The Canadian stock market has been at the forefront of many new trends and technologies that include among others mining, sports betting, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, gaming and AI. Many of these entrepreneurs are looking for solutions to custody their assets outside of Canada for various reasons, ranging from diversification, asset protection or hedging.”

Alpen Partners is an example of an external asset manager that has come to added prominence in Switzerland in recent years as federal regulator FINMA imposes new rules. There are as many as 2,500 EAMs and trustees in the country, and industry figures expect some consolidation to that figure as new regulation costs kick in.

This news service launched an EAM awards programme more than three years ago to highlight the work of these organisations. (See the latest programme here.) A number of banks, such as LGT, Julius Baer and Lombard Odier, serve EAMs. (See an example here at Lombard Odier.)

The new licence covers Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan.