Setting up a London office

For most managers, investing or seeking investments is a global affair. Whereas talking about the impact of Brexit is a favourite pastime of most foreigners in London, including ourselves, London as a major financial centre is not going to disappear overnight or any time soon, given the financial know-how, the favourable regulatory and tax environment (e.g. non-doms) and a range of other factors.

Having an office in London should make sense for many US and Asia-based fund managers for the following reasons:

More efficient trading. Doing the “grave-yard” shift is of course perfectly do-able, but will often still miss out from being around counterparties on a continuous basis and pick up the “colour” of the market.

Enhanced research. Many corporates will simply not travel for various (regulatory reasons) and London remains a vital roadshow stop for all corporates. Analysts will travel and do pick-up the phone, but proprietary research in a local market often can be of significant value added.

Perceived reputation. Even where internal assessments may determine the above to be of limited value, many or at least some investors will perceive otherwise and will allocate more easily with those managers with “feet on the ground”.

Getting closer to investors. Marketing to investors while approximately in the same time zone is simply much easier. Switzerland is within easy reach, as are other European investor bases, of course not forgetting the substantial capital available to funds in London itself (i.e. follow your investors).

There are many ways of gaining a London foothold. Feel free to send us an email to ts@hedgefundconsult.com or call +44 207 6920036 or +44 7799 415788 and we are happy to have an introductory meeting via Skype, phone or in person and we can review how we can be assistance.