SEI has formed a strategic partnership with ANB Invest, a subsidiary of Arab National Bank, to deliver investment management services to investors within Saudi Arabia.
ANB Invest (ANBI) will utilize SEI’s investment management services, a key component of Global Wealth Services. Coupled with ANB Invest’s local and regional capabilities, this partnership is the first of its type in the Middle East.
SEI currently manages in excess of $178 billion for institutions, banks and wealthy families. SEI is also looking to expand with local partners in other parts of the region.
“Arab National Bank is one of the most respected groups in the region, and we are delighted to be partnering with their asset management division,” says Jahangir Aka, managing director for SEI in the Middle East. “We look forward to working with ANBI to deliver a differentiated offering that will help them meet their clients’ investment needs. This relationship also reflects our growing global presence and is a key step in our strategy to expand SEI’s footprint in the Middle East. We are looking to build on the success of this partnership and strengthen our offering across the Middle East. Our global investment management and processing capabilities are complementary fits for local banks in the region gearing up to compete with international players in wealth and asset management.”
“At ANB Invest, our focus is to offer unique products and services to our valued clients,” says Haitham Al-Mubarak, head of asset management, ANB Invest. “After considerable studies, we believe that the multi-manager approach is superior to just using a single manager in each fund. The multi-manager approach allows the fund manager to use more than one portfolio manager in each fund with each portfolio manager specializing in a style or sector. Markets go in cycles as they move up and down. Hence, a single strategy might not be suitable for all parts of the market cycle. Using multiple managers allows the fund to adapt its strategy and style as markets change. Historically, the multi-manager approach was mostly restricted to institutions or high-net-worth investors since it requires scale to implement. Most investors could not gain access to it. We are glad that ANB Invest is the first company in Saudi Arabia to offer this investment management approach to all its clients and believe our partnership with SEI will add significant benefits to our clients. SEI’s history of market knowledge, research and investment solutions capabilities made them our preferred partner in offering this strategy to clients. SEI is also committed to the investment industry in Saudi Arabia. We are confident that working with SEI will enable us to deliver quality products and service to our clients.”
This partnership follows SEI’s recent announcements about its Middle East market entry and the launch of the first dedicated Islamic Manager of Managers equity funds in July last year.