Trident Trust | Best Fund Administration Services Provider
Karine Seguin, Head of Business Development – Fund Services, Europe, Trident Trust, answers the questions on the firm’s win in the 2024 IAM service provider awards
What is the size and scale of your business at the moment?
Overall, Trident Trust employs just over 1,100 people in over 25 countries. Around 200 of our team work in our specialist fund services division, supporting more than 700 alternative funds worldwide. We’re big enough to provide all the global coverage and services our clients need, but still small enough to provide a tailored, personalised service.
What trends have you seen over the past year?
This year highlighted how much macroeconomic factors, like high interest rates and geopolitical uncertainties, impact fund raising. Private equity and venture capital funds were particularly hard-hit, with the sluggish IPO market making exits much harder to achieve. Institutional investors have generally been cautious, wanting to see distributions before committing to new PE funds.
We have seen many general partners adapting their strategies and increasingly targeting private wealth investors. Solutions like feeder funds and onshore turnkey platforms are gaining traction, providing private clients access to investments traditionally reserved for institutions.
What plans do you have for growing your business over the coming year?
We’re a privately owned business that takes a long-term sustainable approach, so our focus since our founding in 1978 has been on organic growth, complemented by selective acquisitions.
At the beginning of this year, we did extend our Asia private equity fund administration capabilities with the acquisition of Tricor IAG Fund Administration Group, but our overall approach is to listen to our clients and incrementally invest in our people and our technology to meet their needs. As an example, that approach is how we ended up being a very early mover into the digital assets space, where we are now a market leader.
Requests to switch fund administrators have risen significantly this year. Managers are frustrated with issues like poor service quality, high staff turnover, outdated technology, and unjustified price increases. This has created opportunities for us to showcase the difference that a responsive and innovative partner can make.
Where do you see the institutional investment industry going over the coming year?
Green energy and infrastructure continue to trend upward, along with multi-strategy and multi-trader approaches. Interestingly, liquid crypto funds have rebounded in recent months. Tokenisation is gaining more traction too and it will be interesting to see how that impacts the market in 2025.
Secondaries are another big area and are on track to have another record year. They have been resilient in challenging markets and offer attractive opportunities for investors and managers alike.
How will your firm be able to support them?
It is about balancing resilience and innovation. By understanding investor priorities and refining our services, we can build on this year’s lessons to deliver even greater value in 2025.
The industry is adapting quickly, and those who remain flexible and innovative will thrive. At the same time, we need to stay ahead of trends, particularly in emerging jurisdictions and investment strategies.
Why do you think you won this award?
I guess you are best placed to tell us, but we hope that it’s in recognition of our dedication to excellent client service. We know that if we have a motivated team, focused on solving our clients’ problems and providing a reliable and responsive service, we can build long-lasting partnerships with our clients and then grow sustainably through word-of-mouth recommendations and a quality-first industry reputation.
