In times of dramatic change across financial economies, entrusting your investments to talented, experienced professionals is crucial. With award winning CEO Andreea Stefanescu at its helm, Solufonds AG is expanding its management fund services to the international fund management scene.
While strategic shift offers financial institutions an exciting way to engage with clients, it has also created a new set of challenges for fund managers. Firms are now having to rapidly adapt their governance processes to accommodate higher levels of activity in what is widely regarded as one of the most complex regulatory areas in financial services.
As one of the world’s premier financial services hubs, Switzerland has an enviable reputation for the quality of its wealth management and private banking services. With a rich history for combining political stability with incredibly high levels of client privacy, Swiss fund management companies such as Solufonds AG deliver an extensive range of services to a demanding institutional client base.
Since its foundation in 2008, this Morges based Swiss based fund management company, structures and administers private label funds as its core business, providing its services to asset managers, banks, pension funds and family offices. The company’s outstanding results speak volumes for its innovative leadership, in depth industry knowledge, and excellent relationships. Since 2017 the company has managed to treble its assets, priding itself on a total market value of CHF 4.1 billion in investments managed for clients.
The old adage ‘there is no substitute for experience’ could well have been modelled on the Solufonds AG leadership. Award winning CEO, Andreea Stefanescu, joined the company in 2017 and became CEO a year later. Her career journey within the financial sector is an impressive one covering more than 17 years – during which time she has headed the private label business of institutional and real estate clients. She acts as a member of the Board of Avadis Vermögensbildung SICAV as well as Zurich Invest’s Management Company and is Managing Director of COPTIS – a professional body concerned with the sustainable development of real estate securitisation activities with Switzerland and focuses on the analysis of current and future regulations.
Important Achievements
Andreea’s visionary entrepreneurial spirit has already transformed Solufonds AG from a regional provider in western Switzerland into a reputable fund management provider covering the whole of the country, due in part to the opening of a branch office in Zurich. Indeed, this nationwide positioning is key. Relocating the Solufonds AG headquarters to a modern premises in Morges reflects a willingness to embrace the requirements of a dynamic company, as well as being an important factor in attracting young talent from a new generation of employees.
In addition, Solufonds AG is in the midst of spreading its wings further afield. The search for the co-operation of a local partner, a fund management company within Luxembourg shall enable the company to become an internationally active entity. Within the European context Luxembourg stands out as a country with a strong regulatory regime and will provide the company with further incentives to diversify and expand. Interestingly, top global brands such as PayPal, Amazon, and Rakuten have chosen Luxembourg as their European hub, and therefore we see this growing fin tech ecosystem as an area of substantial investment opportunity.
The company launched Switzerland’s first private debt fund last year and is firmly establishing itself in the real estate sector as having the largest number of real estate funds and SICAV structures in the Swiss market.
Strategy in Times of Uncertainty
The Swiss wealth management industry faces challenging times, with flattening or even decreasing profitability levels. The underlying causes remain, and new drivers of change are adding to the mix, thus shaping the wealth management industry of the future. The industry continues to consolidate. and many banks are deciding to exit the business.
Technological advances and the digital transformation wave sweeping across both commerce and society has led to an ever-increasing amount of data being generated. In turn, this has increased the need for data-driven business models and a growing use of data analytics in many industries – including wealth management.
For Solufonds AG however, Andreea’s strategy for success is clear. The company operates in a niche market, and with its focused competencies and expertise is able to integrate the wishes of its clients into a bespoke offering. As a totally independent fund management company, Solufonds AG acts without conflict of interest, thereby enabling the company to better understand the needs of its clients and personalise its products and services accordingly. Applying these modern concepts in an unbiased manner guarantees the best interests of clients is placed at the forefront of the company’s strategy, despite working within a highly competitive market.
The Growing Importance of Sustainability
Sustainability has become a hot topic in the financial landscape, driven by rising awareness and demand coming from investors, publicly availability of environmental, social and governance (ESG) data, and an evolving regulatory landscape. Andreea’s overwhelming passion for sustainability is evident through her career journey in both shaping the development of Solufonds AG and on a wider scale ensuring that jobs are maintained and expanded. Working with Solufonds AG has enabled Andreea to apply her leadership skills and industry vision to other mandates – the operational management of the COPTIS association being a noteworthy example.
As demand for sustainable investing continues to rise, sustainability will play a critical role in the investment process in the future. It will ultimately become one of the pillars of the investment process. Progress requires sustainable finance. Solufonds AG helps its clients to make a positive impact and is well-placed to respond to changing landscapes through supporting its clients in offering sustainable investment products.
Diversity in Action
Solufonds AG are committed to building alliances and sustaining an ecosystem where diversity is a reality. Respecting and appreciating what makes each of us unique is a definite company strength. Recognising that the future depends on a pipeline of diverse talent, Andreea is determined to build an inclusive culture which fosters a strong sense of belonging. Putting this into practice, Solufonds AG has successfully cultivated an international fund management company with an equal balance of men and women, across all including also management and executive levels.
Solufonds AG provides comprehensive fund management services and administers investment funds for banks, insurance companies, pension funds and family offices which do not wish to have their own platform. Clients benefit from the expertise and in depth know how of the company’s financial professionals and the excellent industry relationships that Solufonds AG maintains with the various authorities and relevant counterparties in the ever-increasing Swiss fund market.
For further information on investment services offered within real estate and securities funds, updated news on Solufonds AG accomplishments and its collaboration with notable asset management and banking partnerships, please visit the company website at https://www.Solufonds AG.ch/en
