The Bahamas International Securities Exchange (BISX) has announced that the
Royal Fidelity International Investment Fund Limited, Class A Equities Sub Fund
has successfully completed the BISX Mutual Fund Listing Process and has now
been added to the roster of funds listed on the exchange.
The Royal Fidelity Equities Sub Fund is managed by Royal Fidelity Merchant
Bank and Trust Limited and is an open-ended sub-fund of the Royal Fidelity International
Investment Fund Limited.
The Royal Fidelity Equities Sub Fund is the second offering of international
investment products to Bahamians by Royal Fidelity Merchant Bank and Trust Limited.
Royal Fidelity is able to offer these international investment products to
Bahamians as a result of the Central Bank Exchange Control Liberalization Program
which allows BISX Licensed Broker-Dealers to access US dollar currency for the
specific purpose of creating Bahamian based investment products for local investors.
With this latest offering, Bahamians can now choose from 13 unique mutual fund
offerings that are listed on the Exchange, including 5 that feature exposure
to international securities.
The Royal Fidelity Equities Sub Fund becomes the eleventh listing on the Exchange
since December 2007 with nine of these products being available to Bahamians.
Speaking on the growth of investment products available to Bahamians, the BISX
CEO Keith Davies stated: "In order for our market to expand there must
be an emphasis on diversification, both in terms of the actual number of offerings
but also on the type or nature of the different offerings. With this latest
offering and listing on the Exchange, I believe we are making positive steps
in this direction. With the growing variety of investment products now available
on the Exchange, investors are more likely to find investment profiles that
meet their risk versus return profile and this will lead to more Bahamians becoming
active participants in the securities market."
Royal Fidelity Capital Markets Limited served as the BISX Sponsor Member that
brought the Royal Fidelity Equities Sub Fund to the Exchange. Royal Fidelity
Merchant Bank and Trust Limited serves as the Investment Manager.
The Fund seeks a high total return through a combination of income and capital
appreciation by investing in international equity securities, exchange-traded
funds, fixed income securities and mutual funds.
Speaking about their latest listing on the Exchange, Mr. Michael Anderson,
a director of the Fund noted: "This listing gives Bahamians an opportunity
to diversify their portfolio into the international markets without having to
go through the investment currency pool. The fund provides the Bahamian investor
with the opportunity to invest overseas using professional, time-proven investment
managers thus eliminating the need for the Bahamian investor to navigate through
a large universe of investment products."