ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) issues have been steadily moving up the agenda for GPs in recent years. However, following the COVID pandemic and a greater focus on climate change, the spotlight is now clearly on making sure that GPs properly consider ESG issues, both for themselves and their portfolio companies. Although the concentration on…
Our Journey to Carbon Neutral We at Mainspring have just completed a project for the company to become carbon neutral. We thought it might be useful to share our learning and some tips for those organisations that are also considering becoming a carbon-neutral company. For context, Mainspring is a nearly 50-person business that has 2…
How can UK fund managers market in the EU post-Brexit? With the Brexit transitional period over, UK alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs) looking to market alternative investment funds (AIFs) in the EU find themselves subject to a quite different regulatory environment. While sub-threshold UK AIFMs have never had access to the EU Alternative Investment Fund…
Private equity funds in Europe are usually considered to be ten-year funds. Investors are told that this is the time frame within which the investment manager will source appropriate transactions, make the various investments and then effect realisations. The documentation constituting the fund will usually provide for a fixed end date, subject to extension if…
Launching a new fund is difficult. Launching a fund in the wake of a global pandemic – coupled with years of Brexit uncertainty – makes the task even more challenging. But one thing that can smooth that journey is working with a host alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs). Separate regulated firms that will act as…
This article summarises Mainspring’s research findings for blockchain’s suitability as a replacement for traditional SQL based systems for fund management and administration. The full findings are available for download here. Blockchain has the potential to shape industry in profound ways, so much so its introduction has been likened to the invention of the Internet. To…
Earlier this year Mainspring undertook a 3-month proof-of-concept (PoC) to get hands-on with our research of blockchain technologies. As a Fund Administrator, Mainspring holds the books of record for a client’s fund, independent of the fund’s investment manager, undertaking the accounting and reporting of the fund’s performance. In addition, Mainspring provides administration services for operating…
EIS finished 2017 on a high after it received a ringing endorsement in the Chancellor’s budget by upping the limit of investment for knowledge intensive companies. While funds focused on capital preservation will now find it much harder to get clearance, the view from the IFA community was that despite a potentially enhanced risk to…
The legal structure of an EIS fund is such that the ‘fund’ isn’t in fact a legal entity but a figurative or marketing term used for the portfolio of investments structure seen in EIS. In order to qualify for EIS tax relief an investor must possess ownership of the shares in the company in which…
We are very pleased to have worked with the EISA as one of the sponsors and contributors for their most recent guide ‘EIS: under the bonnet’. This is the second in a series of EIS guides designed to enlighten investors and companies seeking investment on how the structure of EIS works. The first issue was…