New York (HedgeCo.Net) – SkyBridge Capital (SkyBridge), a research-based alternative investment firm headquartered in New York, and Woori Investment & Securities (Woori I&S), headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, today announced a strategic partnership that will allow for the distribution of SkyBridge’s hedge fund products throughout Korea and other regions in Asia. In conjunction with the partnership, Woori has also allocated capital to a SkyBridge fund of hedge funds vehicle.
Representing every type of market participant from large institutional investors to individual retail investors, SkyBridge manages or advises on approximately $8.2 billion in assets as of May 31, 2013. This agreement further solidifies the firm’s commitment to increase global distribution of its hedge fund product portfolio, including multi-advisor, multi-strategy fund of hedge fund products, custom portfolios and advisory services.
“Forging a partnership of this kind with one of the largest securities firms in Korea underscores our commitment to provide alpha-centric hedge fund solutions to a broad, global investor base, as well as shows increased appetite for this type of product among investors in Asia,” said Ray Nolte, co-managing partner and chief investment officer at SkyBridge Capital. “We are delighted to team up with a world-class player such as Woori and look forward to strategically expanding the relationship over time.”
Woori I&S offers a broad range of financial services, including wealth management, investment banking and prime brokerage. With client assets of W148.9tn, Woori I&S serves its clients through its more than 117 domestic branches in Korea and 13 overseas offices and subsidiaries.
“Investors in this region are seeking to diversify portfolios to include more alternative investment options,” said Eun Soo Kim, head of global division for Woori I&S. “We believe that SkyBridge’s thoughtful, thematic investment strategy and high-conviction approach to alpha generation will help us to provide our clients with a high-quality hedge fund investment option.”
SkyBridge was recently ranked by Hedge Fund Intelligence as the top performer in both the “Global Multi-Strategy $500M-$1BN” and “Global Multi-Strategy >$1BN” categories for 2012 (as reported in the March 2013 issue of InvestHedge). The firm also produces a large annual investment conference in the U.S. and Asia called the SkyBridge Alternatives “SALT” Conference. SALT Asia 2013 will convene more than 1,000 participants, including the world’s top thought leaders, hedge fund managers and investors from around the globe at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, September 24-27, 2013.
About SkyBridge Capital
Founded in 2005, SkyBridge Capital is an alternative investment firm with approximately $8.2 billion in total assets under advisement or management as of May 31, 2013. The firm provides investment management products, portfolio management and advisory services addressing every type of market participant, from large institutional investors to individual retail investors. SkyBridge offers investment services for commingled funds of hedge funds products, customized separate account portfolios and hedge fund advisory services. Headquartered in New York, the firm also has a presence in Zürich, Switzerland.
About Woori Investment & Securities
Woori Investment & Securities is a core subsidiary of the Woori Financial Group, one of the largest financial groups in Korea. The organization provides wealth management, investment banking and prime brokerage services to its broad client base. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Woori I&S has more than 3,000 employees across its domestic branches and overseas subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.wooriwm.com.
