Novata, a public benefit corporation and technology platform that provides private markets stakeholders with intuitive and effective environmental, social and governance (ESG) data management solutions, has formed the Novata ESG Advisory Council. The Council comprises leading experts in ESG with broad-based experience in academia, research, public and private company stewardship, investment management, and impact-driven initiatives. The global Council will operate as an independent sounding board for Novata and will advise on the most effective way to help private companies and their owners navigate, operationalise, and extract value from ESG data. Founding members of the Council include: Margot Brandenburg, Senior Program

The Thames Valley region’s credentials as the ideal location for dynamic and ambitious companies to thrive will mean it will continue to attract investor interest in 2022, according to Grant Thornton UK LLP. Reflecting on an “outstanding” 2021 for deals, Peter Jennings, Corporate Finance Partner at Grant Thornton is confident the high concentration of entrepreneurial and technology-focused businesses in the region – which after London is the UK’s fastest-growing regional economy – will lead to further activity this year. During 2021 the team advised on 15 deals with a cumulative value of more than GBP750 million. Over half of the

Apex Group (Apex) has been appointed by Starlight Capital (Starlight) for Fund Administration and Corporate Services. Starlight Capital was founded in 2021 by Tao Tang, co-founder of Eastern Bell Capital. Starlight Capital focuses on investments in B2B enterprises services within the digital economy at an angle of early-stage opportunities.  The firm is currently actively raising its first USD fund, which has attracted a lot of international institutional investors’ attention.   Apex has been appointed to provide Fund Administration and Corporate Services to Starlight’s latest funds. Fund administration is at the core of Apex’s single-source solution, delivering timely, accurate and independent

Gen II Luxembourg Services (Gen II), a wholly-owned subsidiary of private equity fund administrator Gen II Fund Services, has completed the firm’s International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3402 Type I Report in the areas of fund accounting, transfer agency, and depositary services. The ISAE 3402 is an internationally recognised auditing standard issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB). A service organisation’s auditor’s examination, in accordance with the standard, represents an in-depth audit of a service organisation’s control objectives and activities. These activities often include controls over information technology and related processes. A leading international accounting firm

iCapital, a global fintech platform providing access and efficiency in alternative investing for the asset and wealth management industries, has acquired Bank of Singapore’s in-house private market feeder fund platform. With the deal, iCapital takes over the management and operation of the bank’s private market feeder funds while Bank of Singapore retains client servicing responsibilities. Following the close of the transaction, iCapital services approximately USD114 billion in global private assets, of which more than USD27 billion are from international investors (non-US Domestic), across more than 940 funds. The deal builds on a long-standing partnership between the two companies. Bank of

Maples and Calder’s Irish Funds & Investment Management team has retained its position as the leading legal adviser to Irish-serviced funds for the ninth consecutive year as ranked by Monterey Insight. This recognition further highlights the Group’s reputation as a market-leading and award winning adviser to the global funds industry. The publication of the ranking follows the firm’s recent appointment of Eimear O’Dwyer and Adam Donoghue as co-Heads of the Irish Funds & Investment Management Group.   Partners in the Maples Group’s Irish Funds & Investment Management team include, Dublin: Caitriona Carty, Stephen Carty, Ian Conlon, Emma Conaty (Head of

Northern Trust has partnered with 5th Century Partners (5CP), a purpose-driven private investment firm based in Chicago, to provide fund administration and related services. The relationship includes banking, investor services and support for the launch of 5CP’s oversubscribed debut fund, which closed to investors earlier this year with $144 million in capital commitments. 5CP invests in growing middle-market companies with a focused approach that taps into diversity as a tool to drive strong financial outcomes that can create transformative wealth opportunities for diverse communities and stakeholders. The firm’s investment strategy was designed to embrace an increasingly diverse world and create

iCapital, a global fintech platform driving access and efficiency in alternative investing for the asset and wealth management industries, is leading a consortium to develop a distributed ledger-based solution for the alternative investment ecosystem. The group will champion an industry-wide initiative to drive the next generation in operational efficiency, security, and convenience. The consortium, which includes leading asset managers, wealth managers, and service providers including Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, BNY Mellon, Carlyle, KKR, Morgan Stanley, State Street, UBS, and WestCap, will partner with iCapital to make it easier to acquire and service alternative assets.   While Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, BNY Mellon,

Gridline’s new alternative asset marketplace is aiming to provide greater opportunity for individual investors and wealth managers to invest in top-tier alternative assets and fund managers. Just as Vanguard introduced index-based investing to public markets in the 1970s, Gridline is introducing index-based investing to private markets, allowing non-institutional investors the most efficient way to gain diversified exposure to historically exclusive and prohibitively expensive private market opportunities. Gridline’s digital wealth platform handles the traditionally cumbersome back-office management of private market investing, from treasury management to tax reporting and transparent performance monitoring, allowing fees to remain low, keeping more money in the