Swiss Banking Group Buys Hong Kong Fund Of Hedge Funds

by Carla Johnson, Investors Offshore.com

29 January 2007

Swiss banking group SYZ & CO has announced the expansion of its activities in Asia through the acquisition of Oria Capital, a respected Hong Kong based fund of hedge funds management group, which will become part of the group’s alternative investment business line.

The role of the new company, known as 3A Asia, will be to extend the group’s funds of hedge funds to a fast-growing Asian investor base, as well as to analyse and select Asian hedge fund managers.

With over US$2.5 billion in hedge fund assets and additional research and due diligence services rendered on US$3.7 billion in alternative investments, 3A SA, the SYZ & CO group’s alternative investment division, is already one of Switzerland’s leading specialists in hedge fund analysis and alternative portfolio management.

3A is already well established in Europe with Albertini Syz Investimenti Alternativi SGR, the SYZ & CO Group’s Milan-based alternative fund of hedge funds manager; with the London listing in 2001 of ALTIN AG the Swiss alternative investment company managed by 3A; and with strategic partnerships in other European countries. This new development in Hong Kong aims to participate in the unparalleled dynamism of the Asian continent, both as a fast growing client base but also as a way of enhancing 3A’s expertise in Asian hedge fund managers.

Oria Capital’s management team has an average of over 15 years of dedicated experience of Asian market investing, and offers investors an extensive knowledge of and an efficient exposure to Asian market opportunities.

Commenting on the acquisition, Jean Keller, CEO of 3A stated: “Oria Capital specializes in one of the world’s most promising investment markets and has a team with unparalleled experience. On average, top-performing funds in Asia close to new investors just 12-24 months after their launch. Having a highly-skilled team in Hong Kong will allow us to speed up our analysis and manager selection process of Asian managers and thus offer our investors access to the best investment opportunities in Asia.”

Jennifer Carver, CEO of Oria Capital, added: “Oria Capital and 3A are a perfect fit as we share a common philosophy based on rigorous due diligence and full transparency for investors. We also share years of experience in the hedge fund industry and have a host of complementary funds. 3A’s performance track-record is truly impressive and we are very excited about making their products available to the very discerning Asian investor base."

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