The past decade has been marked by rapid growth in private markets and this looks set to expand even more as most countries are now lifting their Covid-19 restrictions, which the sector rebounded from very quickly. In light of this, Ireland’s recently revamped Investment Limited Partnership (“ILP”) structure is now a very attractive option for managers structuring closed ended funds and has added to the vast array of fund vehicles available in Ireland. The structure was modernised to contain the best-in-class features of other limited partnership structures globally and to remove drawbacks under the previous ILP regime.
Gayle Bowen, Chair of the Irish Funds ILP Working Group – The past decade has been marked by rapid growth in private markets and this looks set to expand even more as most countries are now lifting their Covid-19 restrictions, which the sector rebounded from very quickly. In light of this, Ireland’s recently revamped Investment Limited Partnership (“ILP”) structure is now a very attractive option for managers structuring closed ended funds and has added to the vast array of fund vehicles available in Ireland. The structure was modernised to contain the best-in-class features of other limited partnership structures globally and to remove drawbacks under the previous ILP regime.
The ILP is a traditional Anglo-Saxon limited partnership but with enhanced features. It is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (“CBI”) and can be set up under a 24-hour “Fast Track” approval process, depending on the strategies and benefits from the pan-European AIFMD marketing passport.
The ILP rivals traditional jurisdictions for establishing closed-ended limited partnerships. Indeed, it has certain advantages over some of these jurisdictions; for example, unlike certain funds in Luxembourg, the ILP is not generally subject to diversification requirements (it can hold a single asset) and it has no subscription tax.
In terms of structure, every ILP requires at least one general partner and one limited partner. While the general partner is not regulated by the CBI, its directors are subject to the CBI’s fitness and probity requirements to ensure their suitability to be directors. An ILP is required to have an Alternative Investment Fund Manager (“AIFM”) and will generally appoint an EEA AIFM to ensure it can benefit from the AIFMD marketing passport. Investment management can be delegated to an investment manager who is approved to provide investment management to Irish funds. The investment manager or the AIFM can also receive non-discretionary investment advice from an investment adviser.
The Irish Funds Industry Association (Irish Funds) through its ILP Working Group has been at the forefront of industry engagement with the Irish government and the CBI in relation to modernising the ILP.
