Sovereign Capital Partners’ portfolio company ACOLIN, a provider of regulatory and cross-border fund distribution services, has acquired GFA, a SaaS-based data collection and analytics provider for asset managers.
This follows ACOLIN’s acquisition of digital fund distribution and data management business Fundbase in February.
Founded in 2014, GFA (www.gfa.lu) operates a SaaS-based data collection and analytics platform for asset managers and distributors to manage their increasing compliance obligations, and to enable asset managers to gain valuable insights into their distribution networks and identify opportunities to further improve business performance.
The acquisitions of both GFA and Fundbase (https://www.fundbase.com/) have accelerated a number of ACOLIN’s growth objectives. GFA establishes a meaningful presence in Luxembourg, which is a key European financial centre for cross-border fund formation and management, together with the addition of a modular, technology-enabled proposition in a core area of regulatory compliance, whilst Fundbase realises the business’ vision for establishing a digital marketplace platform.
Sovereign backed the MBO of the ACOLIN in June 2020 to further develop its client base and service offering through a strategy of organic and acquisitive growth. The business now operates throughout Europe from nine locations including Zurich, Geneva, Luxembourg, London, Frankfurt and Belgrade, employing over 100 members of staff.
Alex Hay, Partner, Sovereign, says: “This is a fantastic milestone for the business. It enables ACOLIN to deliver a wide range of integrated support services on one truly integrated platform, and to provide clients with greater support in delivering against increasing regulatory challenges. We look forward to working with management to identify opportunities to further develop ACOLIN’s offering and geographic reach in this market.”
Theo Splinter, CEO of ACOLIN, says: “GFA’s sophisticated and flexible technology platform will allow ACOLIN’s asset management clients to substantially strengthen their relationship with distribution partners through fully customisable oversight tools and state-of-the-art analytical tools, generating transparent and strategic insights into their distribution activities. At the same time, we are able to permanently strengthen our presence in the important European fund centre of Luxembourg, and we are delighted to welcome Gert Rautenberg and his fantastic team to the ACOLIN family.”
