QInvest, Qatar's leading investment bank, announced this July the inclusion of the QInvest Managed Account Platform (QMAP) funds to The Global Fund Platform of RBC Investor and Treasury Services.
QMAP, launched by QInvest in the first quarter of 2013, is the world's first open architecture Shariah-compliant managed account fund platform, which brings the capabilities of some of the best managers in the world to investors interested in adhering to the principles of Shariah.
Through the RBC Investor & Treasury Services' platform, one of the top 10 global custodian and asset servicers, investors and fund selectors from across the globe that use the platform's open architecture environment can now access a wide selection of Shariah compliant funds.
The Global Fund Platform helps both managers and buyers fully exploit and adapt to the changing dynamics of the global fund distribution market. It allows fund buyers to optimise fund selection with access to over 90,000 share classes registered with a network of over 400 transfer agents.
Mr. Tamim Hamad Al-Kawari, QInvest's CEO, said in a statement that "QMAP is a pioneering solution that provides QInvest clients and shareholders with a new investment platform that comply with Islamic Shariah. We are very pleased to include QMAP offering on the RBC Investor & Treasury Services distribution platform. This will significantly strengthen QInvest's reach to global investors."
The Launch of QMAP
The Qatar-based investment bank Qinvest announced the launch of the QInvest Managed Account Platform (QMAP) in March of this year. As QMAP is the world's first open architecture Shariah-compliant managed account platform, it made waves in the Islamic investment sector and garnered positive feedback from investors looking to follow the Shariah principles. QMAP provides investors with the opportunity to select from a range of high quality funds that are managed by top tier professional teams, all Shariah compliant.
Among their portfolio are industry notables in investment management, including their launch partners Eagle Capital Management, Edgewood Management and GAM. QInvest also built the platform's operational processes in conjunction with Nomura International.
At QInvest's Annual General Assembly earlier this year, H.E. Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al Thani, QInvest's Chairman, informed shareholders about the launch of the open architecture Shariah compliant managed account platform, noting that it allows shareholders and investors to invest in asset classes such as mutual funds and hedge funds, managed by globally recognized investment managers.
Commenting on the launch of QMAP at the time, Mr. Tamim Hamad Al-Kawari, QInvest's CEO, said "QMAP is a pioneering solution managed by professional team of experts and associated with world class groups. Fund managers, for instance, have to pass strict selection criteria covering investment processes, operational and risk controls. The first funds have been off to a strong start and are already amongst the best funds within their peer groups."
Mr. Al-Kawari added that "The new platform brings quality and choice to our shareholders and investors, especially those seeking investment solutions that comply with Islamic Shariah."
Al-Kawari congratulated the Global Investment Products team, led by Dr. Ataf Ahmed, who has developed the platform.
Dr. Ahmed commented saying: "QMAP will be adding more funds and bespoke client investment propositions for the firm and its clients over the coming months. We are committed to developing this offering and aim to generate returns for investors and shareholders alike."
"QInvest is looking to attract investors who would prefer a principled investment choice, although initially it expects most interest from investors seeking Shariah complaint solutions." Dr. Ahmed concluded.
The QMAP structure
The asset management team behind QMAP is headed by Dr. Ataf Ahmed CFA who has extensive experience in managing multi asset class portfolios. The team, including Associate Hussan Al Moatassem and Nadim Azar bring together over 20 years of experience in global markets and investment, among them UBS Wealth Management, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse and Merrill Lynch. By the time of QMAP, the team had already launched several high profile initiatives such as the award-winning TIM Note.
The QMAP platform was designed to bring together investment talent from the conventional space and partner them with top-tier Shariah-compliant funds. Though QMAP is still relatively young, its funds thus far are among the strongest funds in their category[SO1] .
This is largely due to the ethos of its launching members, who generally practice long-view and risk-averse investment management. Eagle Capital Management, based out of New York, is a long only investment management firm, boasting in their profile that they have managed only one strategy since their inception in 1988, long-focused equities in the mid-large cap space.
Likewise, Edgewood Management states their strategy as producing sustainable long-term performance by investing in high-quality growth companies. The investment philosophy Edgewood commits to is grounded in the conviction that earnings growth will drive stock prices over the long term, the basic foundation for the high-quality, low-risk approach to investing.
QInvest itself promotes that the fund has acted as a seeding vehicle to seed and launch new Shariah strategies, and has been managed in a low risk manner to avoid large market drawdown's and manager market risk, as well as targeting absolute returns.
© Business Islamica 2013
