ZURICH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UBS Global Wealth Management (GWM), the world’s leading wealth manager, and iCapital Network1, the leading global financial technology platform driving access and efficiency in private market investing for the asset and wealth management industries, have significantly enhanced their partnership to augment the information and analytics on their clients’ private markets investments (including private equity, private debt, and real assets) for UBS advisors and their high-net-worth clients across international locations including the major financial centers Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Through this partnership, UBS GWM can benefit from iCapital’s technology and solutions, which digitize and automate the entire lifecycle of private market investments. In addition to enhancing access to information and expanding analytics, this partnership will significantly reduce the operational difficulties and many manual, paper-based transaction processes that advisors and their clients have historically faced when investing in this asset class.
Today, global HNWI wealth is approaching USD 80 trillion and growing at more than 7.5% each year2. While the global market for alternative investments stands at over $10.7 trillion, with growth of 9.8% forecast by 20253, individual investor allocations have historically lagged those of institutional investors. As individual investors build their understanding of opportunities in the private markets and their utility in helping to meet long-term goals4 adoption is expected to accelerate.
Today’s announcement builds on a long-standing relationship between the two companies. UBS became a strategic investor in iCapital in 2017. It also enlisted iCapital’s technology and solutions to digitalize access in private markets for its U.S.-based wealth advisors and clients.
“The seamless integration of iCapital’s platform into our advisors’ systems reinforces our strategic focus on private markets and improves efficiency and access to information. This is a further step in making UBS not only the best but also the most convenient wealth manager for clients to work with”, said Bruno Marxer, Head of CIO Global Investment Mandates at UBS Global Wealth Management.
“This is an important accomplishment on our way to a scalable ecosystem, which is focused on improving the clients’ and client advisors’ user experience in private markets investments,” said Johannes Roth, Co-Head of Global Alternative Investment Solutions, UBS Global Wealth Management. “iCapital partnered with our technology team to improve efficiencies while meeting stringent requirements for security and data protection.”
“This partnership is a key milestone in iCapital’s expansion strategy in Europe and Asia,” said Marco Bizzozero, Head of International at iCapital Network. “This attests to our ability to be the partner of choice for global wealth managers as they make private markets a strategic priority and a more accessible component of diversified client portfolios.”
“We are delighted to expand our partnership with UBS,” said Lawrence Calcano, Chairman and CEO of iCapital Network. “iCapital offers comprehensive and sophisticated technology solutions while being mindful of the unique regulatory challenges of the global marketplace to ensure clients can conveniently access alternative investing opportunities to diversify and potentially enhance long-term portfolio returns.”
About UBS
UBS provides financial advice and solutions to wealthy, institutional and corporate clients worldwide, as well as private clients in Switzerland. UBS is the largest truly global wealth manager, and a leading personal and corporate bank in Switzerland, with a large-scale and diversified global asset manager and a focused investment bank. The bank focuses on businesses that have a strong competitive position in their targeted markets, are capital efficient, and have an attractive long-term structural growth or profitability outlook.
About iCapital Network
Founded in 2013 in NYC, iCapital Network is the leading global financial technology company powering the world’s alternative investment marketplace. It has transformed the way the wealth management, banking, and asset management industries facilitate access to private markets investments for their high-net-worth clients by providing intuitive, end-to-end technology and service solutions. Wealth management firms use iCapital’s solutions to provide clients with quality funds at lower minimums and simplified digital workflows. Asset managers and banks leverage iCapital’s technology to streamline and scale their private investments operational infrastructure. Additionally, the iCapital ‘flagship’ platform offers financial advisors and their high-net-worth clients access to a curated menu of private equity, private credit, hedge funds, and other alternative investments to help meet their investing needs for return and diversification. iCapital’s research and diligence team offers robust analysis alongside the firm’s extensive suite of advisor education, compliance, portfolio management, and portfolio analytics tools and services. iCapital was recognized on the Forbes FinTech 50 list in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, the Forbes America’s Best Startup Employers in 2021, and MMI/Barron’s Industry Awards as Solutions Provider of the Year in 2020 and 2021. As of October 31, 2021, iCapital services more than $98 billion in client assets, of which over $20 billion are from international investors (non-US Domestic), across 835 funds. Employing more than 680 people globally, iCapital is headquartered in NYC and has offices in Zurich, London, Lisbon, Hong Kong, Singapore and Toronto.
For additional information, please visit iCapital Network’s website at www.icapitalnetwork.com | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icapital-network-inc | Twitter: @icapitalnetwork
See disclosures here.
1 Institutional Capital Network, Inc., and its affiliates (herein “iCapital Network”, “iCapital” or “the Company”)
2 Source: Capgemini World Wealth Report 2021; Link
3 Source: Preqin Special Report: The Future of Alternatives 2025; Link
4 Source: Cerulli Associates Democratization of Private Investments for Europe’s Retail Fund Investors, May 2020; Link
