The Standards Board for Alternative Investments, an active alliance of institutional investors and alternative asset managers, has published new guidance – Helping Allocators Increase Diversity in Their Portfolios. The report has been produced in collaboration with the Institutional Limited Partners Association.

Finquest, a fintech company that helps private equity and corporate mergers & acquisitions teams source proprietary mid-market deals, has expanded its private company database by 100% alongside headcount growth to 250 global employees. Finquest now makes over 100 million mid-market companies discoverable to potential investors and corporate buyers. The data it collects on these companies is uniquely gathered, organised, augmented by AI, and moderated by humans, making it unrivalled in breadth and searchability.    Thanks to this, Finquest addresses the biggest question facing Private Equity and Corporate M&A teams when it comes to deal sourcing: is this the best target

FundCount, a provider of accounting and investment analysis software for single and multi-family offices, fund administrators, hedge funds and private equity firms, has joined the Cyprus Investment Funds Association, the fund industry’s sole recognised body located in Cyprus.

Third Bridge, a global investment research firm serving the world’s largest hedge funds, mutual funds, private equity funds and management consultancies, has been awarded a Silver Medal by EcoVadis, a provider of business sustainability ratings. 

A group of leading alternative asset managers and industry bodies in the private and broadly syndicated credit markets have launched the ESG Integrated Disclosure Project template, which is aimed at enhancing transparency and consistency for both private companies and credit investors.

Aliph Capital, the Middle East’s first female-led private equity firm, has appointed Apex Group to provide fund services for its debut fund Aliph Fund I, which will focus on mid-market private equity deals across the GCC region. The fund will look to acquire sizeable, active positions in privately owned mid-market companies that possess robust business fundamentals.    Apex Group will deliver a range of independent fund Administration services to Aliph Capital, including financial information, multi-currency transaction processing and flexible valuation periods. Apex Group’s integrated global fund administration solution is underpinned by a connected approach to technology, supporting the secure transfer

ZEDRA, a global specialist in fund solutions, has secured regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, for the acquisition of Curaçao- and US-based Atlas Fund Services, a privately held, fully licensed, alternative investment fund administrator.

SDAX, a private markets investment and trading platform based in Singapore, has partnered with Ownera, provider of a global inter-trading network, to distribute digital securities over the Ownera open-source FinP2P protocol network. SDAX works with companies and institutions to raise funds in a fast, secure and cost-effective way through blockchain technology, in the process making these private market investment opportunities accessible to investors via fractionalized ownership.  Licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, SDAX focuses on institutional-grade real estate and environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related investments. SDAX is backed by strategic shareholders such as ESR (APAC’s largest real asset manager),