Business & Money | Wednesday 31 July, 2019 9:05 am |

Dubai-based asset manager Introspect Capital has appointed Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) to provide global custody and brokerage services. Through its asset servicing and global capital markets capabilities, Northern Trust is helping drive efficiencies for Introspect Capital across its fund operations – supporting its business strategy by enabling the investment team to focus directly on portfolio management and business development.

Founded in 2017, Introspect Capital is a boutique asset manager investing chiefly in equities across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. With a focus on frontier and emerging markets, its team makes extensive use of on-the-ground research and information-gathering to screen and evaluate potential investments – aiming to generate absolute returns, regardless of market cycle.

As well as appointing Northern Trust as global custodian, Introspect Capital will benefit from Northern Trust Securities’ agency-only broking capability. This combines far-reaching trading expertise in equities and fixed income with high-quality liquidity and can include an integrated middle and back office service.

Guy Gibson, global head of Institutional Brokerage at Northern Trust Capital Markets, commented: “Northern Trust is delighted to provide execution services to Introspect Capital – with particular focus on execution in international markets. Our services provide broad market access, quality execution and minimization of trading costs – as well as investment strategies centered on clients’ individual requirements and investment objectives. This approach underpins our focus on delivering the highest levels of service for clients such as Introspect Capital.”

“As an industry leader and one of the world's foremost global custodians, Introspect Capital is pleased to draw on Northern Trust's scale and expertise in providing asset safekeeping and further services,” Kareem Hamza, SEO of Introspect Capital said. “Northern Trust is an ideal partner to support our firm, as we grow in line with global best practice asset management standards.”

Also commenting, Edgar D’Mello, head of relationship and client management across Northern Trust’s Middle East offices, said: “Northern Trust is well-placed to support Introspect Capital as they seek to accelerate growth and navigate the opportunities and challenges that expansion brings. We have long-standing experience of supporting dynamic managers around the world – plus the heritage of providing solutions to Middle East clients for more than 30 years. We are delighted to bring this expertise to bear for Introspect Capital.”

Northern Trust began servicing clients in the Middle East in 1987. Today, from its two offices in the region, in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, it services a portfolio of high profile clients that include many of the largest sovereign wealth funds, central banks, inter-governmental/governmental organizations, asset managers and family offices in the region. Over the last five years it has doubled the assets under custody it services in the region.

Northern Trust Capital Markets is comprised of a number of Northern Trust entities that provide trading and execution services on behalf of institutional clients, including foreign exchange, institutional brokerage, securities lending and transition management services. Institutional Brokerage services are provided by Northern Trust Securities LLP (‘NTS LLP’) in EMEA and APAC and Northern Trust Securities, Inc. (‘NTSI’) in the United States.