Monday, June 2, 2008
Julius Baer to launch London Investment Product office
Julius Baer, Switzerland's leading dedicated wealth manager, is expanding its London presence with the launch of an office focusing on promoting and selling investment products in the UK market.
The Investment Products distribution team forms a new department at Julius Baer International Ltd., based in London. It will initially focus on selling funds on a wholesale basis to wealth managers, insurance companies, investment banks and fund of funds, after UK distributor status was granted by the Financial Services Authority to a selection of Julius Baer funds so they could be marketed in the UK.
Julius Baer's current investment strategies are based around three core investment themes, which are NEWO(TM) (New Economic World Order), Real Assets & Capital Preservation and growth niches with pricing power.
Julius Baer Investment Products has in excess of 39bn GBP under management, a 100% increase in the last five years. Julius Baer has built a strong reputation for its active management philosophy and has launched a variety of satellite products covering areas such as luxury brands, northern Africa, Black sea region and German value stocks.
Beat Wittmann, CEO Julius Baer Investment Products, said: "The launch of Julius Baer's Investment Products division in London is an important part of our strategy for organic growth."
"Our aim is to offer innovative products with strong investment performance and excellence in client servicing. Our success in the UK will stem from our disciplined investment process and the high quality and experience of our fund management and client facing teams."
"We believe that the key to generating real returns in difficult markets is a flexible and active investment strategy. The current market conditions present an excellent opportunity as it is possible to invest in tomorrow's winners at attractive entry prices. We believe that selective investments in equities, non-traditional fixed income and alternative investments such as infrastructure, natural resources and real estate will enable us to generate returns for our investors in the present climate."
About Julius Baer
Julius Baer, which has roots dating to the nineteenth century, concentrates exclusively on private banking and asset management for private and institutional clients. With more than 4 000 employees worldwide, the Group managed assets in excess of GBP 200 billion at the end of 2007. The Julius Baer Group's global presence comprises more than 30 locations in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia, including Zurich (head office), Buenos Aires, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Lugano, Moscow, New York, Singapore and Tokyo. Bank Julius Baer and GAM, a leading global active asset manager, are the key companies of the Group. The shares of Julius Baer Holding Ltd. are listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange and form part of the Swiss Market Index SMI which comprises the 20 largest and most liquid stocks.
Julius Baer International Limited, London, is a UK investment management firm, authorized by the FSA, providing investment advice and portfolio management services to UK and international private clients. It is a fully owned subsidiary of Julius Baer Holding Ltd.
For more information: www.juliusbaer.com