Russell Investments Canada and iCapital® introduce global unlisted infrastructure solution for eligible Canadian accredited investors
New fund provides access to some of the world’s most exclusive private infrastructure opportunities
Toronto, November 21, 2024 – Russell Investments Canada Limited (“Russell Investments”) today announced that eligible Canadian accredited investors can now access a global unlisted infrastructure fund through a partnership with iCapital Network Canada Ltd. (“iCapital Canada”)1, the global fintech platform driving access to alternative investments for the wealth and asset management industries.
The Russell Investments Global Unlisted Infrastructure Fund S.C.A., SICAV-RAIF (the “Underlying Fund”) can be accessed through the new Russell Investments iCapital Global Unlisted Infrastructure Fund L.P. (the “Access Fund”), managed by iCapital Canada. The Access Fund will invest 85–90% in the established Underlying Fund and 10–15% in a liquid investment, such as a high interest savings account, to satisfy redemption requirements.
“We see strong demand for private markets solutions from high-net-worth investors to help meet their long-term goals, particularly for products that offer access to what has traditionally been limited to institutional investors,” said Michael Steingold, Director, Private Markets at Russell Investments. “In partnership with iCapital, we are very excited to introduce an open-ended unlisted infrastructure fund in Canada, that provides eligible Canadian accredited investors with access to top-tier investment managers, with quarterly subscription options and liquidity access.”
The Underlying Fund uses an actively managed open-architecture approach to invest in assets worldwide that provide essential services to communities and corporations, which underpin modern economies. The resulting curated portfolio of funds and co-investments creates a single access point to a diversified infrastructure allocation. Such exposure to specialist fund managers and co-investments in the infrastructure universe is generally not accessible to many retail investors.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Russell Investments to provide eligible Canadian accredited investors with best-in-class, easy and transparent access to alternatives,” said Tom Johnston, Managing Director, International Client Solutions at iCapital Canada. “Our innovative technology and service offering features seamless and secure end-to-end alternative investing capabilities that include digital fulfillment, administration, document management, reporting and a full suite of educational materials.”
The Underlying Fund is domiciled in Luxembourg and invests in opportunities that address the need for new infrastructure solutions to meet evolving social and economic demands. It currently invests in assets across six investment managers, covering targeted regions and sectors. As new funding arrives, Russell Investments will continue to deploy capital in current assets and seek new co-investment opportunities.
About Russell Investments
Russell Investments is a global investment solutions firm providing a wide range of services to institutional investors, financial intermediaries, and individual investors. The firm has C$442.5 billion in assets under management (as of September 30, 2024) for clients in 30 countries. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Russell Investments has 16 offices in 16 financial centers around the world, including Toronto, New York, London, Tokyo and Shanghai.
A longstanding alternatives specialist, Russell Investments has managed private markets portfolios for 40 years. It launched its first open-ended private real estate fund in 1984 and first private infrastructure fund in 2006. The firm manages and advises US$114 billion in alternative investments. It currently monitors more than 8,000 private markets products globally
About iCapital
iCapital powers the world’s alternative investment marketplace, offering a complete suite of tools, end-to-end enterprise solutions, data management and distribution capabilities, and an innovative operating system. iCapital is the trusted technology partner to financial advisors, wealth managers, asset managers, as well as other participants in this ecosystem, and offers unrivaled access, technology, and education to incorporate alternative assets, structured investments (SI), and annuities into the core portfolio strategies for their clients.
At the forefront of the digital transformation in alternative investing, iCapital’s secure platform delivers a complete portfolio of management capabilities for education, transactions, data flows, analytics, and client support throughout the investment lifecycle. With $200 billion+2 in global platform assets, the iCapital operating system automates and streamlines the complex process of private market investing, and seamlessly integrates with clients’ existing infrastructure platform and tools.
iCapital employs more than 1,675 people globally and has 17 offices worldwide, including New York, Greenwich, Zurich, Lisbon, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, and Toronto. iCapital has consistently been recognized for its outstanding innovation, fintech industry leadership, and performance, including CNBC World Top Fintech Companies for 2024, and Forbes Fintech 50 for seven consecutive years since 2018.
1A Canadian investment fund manager and an affiliate of the iCapital group of companies (collectively “iCapital”).
2As of November 5, 2024