Global Custodian Hedge Fund Annual 2018 | Page 53

[ M A R K E T R E V I E W | M & A ] Not many fish left in the sea A look at the fund administration foodchain and who is acquiring which competitors as the consolidation trend continues. Apex Fund Services MUFG SS&C Custom House 2018 LRI Group 2018 Rydex Fund Services 2016 CACEIS NA Fund business 2018 Ultimus Fund Solutions DST 2018 CommonWealth Fund Services 2017 Ipes 2018 MM Warburg & Co Asset Management & Services (LUX) 2018 Woodfield Fund Administration 2018 Conifer Financial Services 2016 Equinoxe Alternative Investment Services 2017 MAS International Wells Fargo Fund Services 2016 Deutsche Bank’s Alternative Fund Services Business Services 2017 Ocorian 2018 SSG Group First Names Group 2017 Source: Aite Group inflexibility.” Hughes explains that the group’s aim is to retain its inde- pendence while also introducing the capabilities and services traditionally associated with a bank. Backed by private equity firm Genstar, there have been five major deals in the past 13 months for Apex, including Equinoxe Alternative Investment Services, MM Warburg Asset Servicing, Deutsche Bank’s Alternative Fund Services business, and most recently, Ipes and Custom House Fund Services. “Agility is key and from Apex’s perspective our strategy does not fall in to a simple case of ‘buy or be bought’, we are focused on creating a new combined business that offers something genuinely unique to clients.” Other big acquisitions in previous years included State Street snapping up Gold- man Sachs’ administration services unit and US Bancorp Fund Services adding Quintillion’s $18 billion in hedge fund assets under administration in 2013. The Hedge Fund Annual 2018 globalcustodian.com 53