Investment funds complement pension funds. They have many different names – unit trusts, mutual funds, collective investment schemes, etc - but whatever they are called they are similar in overall concept. They attract savings, invest them and return income and capital growth to investors in proportion to their ownership of shares or units issued by the fund. As such they are also similar in structure to unitised defined contribution pension funds. People may invest in investment funds directly, or as the underlying asset of a pension or other tax-efficient ‘wrapper’.
Cadogan Financial’s principals are acknowledged as leading international experts in this area and are co-authors of the standard text book on the subject.
Cadogan Financial has undertaken ‘turnkey’ projects that require creation of an investment funds business where none has existed before: this entails undertaking diagnostic studies to assess if such funds can operate effectively and will be sufficiently attractive to investors, drafting primary legislation, writing the underlying regulations, training both regulators and market participants and developing a qualifications regime in a range of countries including Botswana, Bulgaria, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Slovakia, Uganda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
We also work on reform of existing investment fund sectors, to bring these up to date with the most recent developments and ensure that the regime is in conformity with evolving best international standards: for instance, in India, Indonesia Costa Rica and Saudi Arabia.
Cadogan has worked with the World Bank and IOSCO on a major global study of impediments to mutual fund (investment fund) development in emerging and developing countries. This included comprehensive case studies on Brazil, Kenya, Perun and Turkey.
