Fimat Group, the brokerage arm of Sociètè Gènèrale, has decided to consolidate its hedge fund services under a single brand – Alternative Investment Solutions (AIS)
“By leveraging the expertise of our alternative investment services available throughout the Group into a single brand, we remain true to our role as a centralized provider of a broad range of global brokerage activities, including execution, clearing, settlement, and custody,” explains Patrice Blanc, Chairman and CEO of Fimat Group. “By creating a common recognition for the distribution of our alternative investment offerings, Fimat’s clients will be able to take greater advantage of the market synergies that exist between the US, Europe, and Asia.”
Fimat AIS combines the products, services and expertise previously offered throughout Fimat – or, more specifically, by its New York and London-based prime brokerage teams, respectively headed by Stephan Solomon and Marc Cohen (Fimat Financial Services Group) and Philippe Teilhard de Chardin (Fimat Global Fund Services Group).
Fimat says that, under its new name, the firm will offer hedge fund managers, commodity trading advisors (CTAs), futures industry managers, and other hedge fund market groups a full suite of brokerage services, from execution and risk management to clearing and settlement.
“As trading strategies grow increasingly more complex, providing clients with a wide range of value-added, yet tailored, services remains our number one priority,” says Stephan Solomon.
Philippe Teilhard de Chardin noted that in addition to complimenting the foreign exchange focus and experience in capital introductions of the New York team, the London team will contribute an extensive background in investment portfolios, a wealth of managers and investors relationships as well as a large knowledge base in multi assets / multi instruments execution, clearing, settlement, financing, risk-management and reporting.
“By extending the reach of our coverage to Asia as well, we are responding to an increasingly global demand for which Fimat is ideally placed to fulfill the needs,” says Telhard de Chardin. “The considerable investments made to date in our specialist service delivery platform for securities and derivatives portfolios will provide managers and investors alike with innovative solutions under a common brand so the group is positioned as the partner of choice by the alternative investment community.”