This partnership will combine Samena Asia Managers (SAM), Samena Capital’s hedge fund seeding business operating from Hong Kong with Reyl & Cie’s wealth and asset management expertise and regulated infrastructure to create a high value proposition for their respective client and investor bases.

SAM will expand its operational and fund infrastructure, run managed accounts and develop bespoke products suited not only to mature European investors but also to HNWI, family offices and institutional players in the fast growing SAMENA region.

According to Reuters, the two firms had initially committed $25m for the seeding vehicle called Samena Angel Fund II, which is expected to launch in October. The start-up plans to raise up to $250m from private bank clients, which will be invested in hedge funds focusing on the SAMENA region.

SAM is currently running a $98m seed fund, Samena Angel Fund I, which returned 23% since its launch in January 2007 through investments in Asia-focused multi-strategy hedge fund Phalanx and Greater China long/short hedge fund Snow Lake.

The new vehicle will “reach out to a broader audience”, said Julius Wang, CEO of SAM, by expanding to managed accounts and creating portfolios that might interest clients from Europe.

About REYL & CIE S.A.
Based in Geneva, with presence in Paris, Luxembourg and Singapore, the REYL Group manages assets amounting to more than CHF 4 billion. It has three separate, yet complementary, lines of activity:

- wealth management, REYL & CIE’s historic business
- asset management, with investment funds managed by Reyl Asset Management
- private office services offered by Reyl Private Office.

Founded in 1973, REYL & CIE is a fully-fledged ank and operates under the direct control of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and the Swiss National Bank. Corporate website: www.reyl.com

About Samena Capital
Operating from London and Hong Kong with a research presence in India and Bahrain, Samena Capital currently manages in excess of US$ 400 million across a range of close-ended structures.

On the whole, Samena Capital’s strategic investments have created substantial value by combining the experience and market knowledge of its shareholders with the considerable investment acumen of the company’s regulated investments advisors in London and Hong Kong and research presence in India and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Corporate website: www.samenacapital.com

- FG