Putting innovation into practice
Historically, endowments and foundations have been viewed as ‘ahead of the curve’ on a number of themes—such as the use of private equity and other alternative investment strategies. The combination of a long-term investment horizon, relative regulatory freedom and innovation-friendly governance structures continues to be a powerful one.
Today, we continue to see foundation and endowment investors seeking to advance and enhance portfolios with new developments—such as exploring esoteric investment strategies that have not yet reached the institutional mainstream, driving ‘impact investment’ product development and uncovering unfamiliar/emerging managers.
Supporting the needs of foundations and endowments
Endowments and foundations represent a very significant proportion of bfinance’s client base (>10%). Acting as an extension of their teams, we offer flexible support in a range of areas. The most popular service for these investors during recent years has been manager research and selection: the bfinance process has helped these clients to research strategies, acquire market knowledge and uncover a broad range of solutions.
Other key services for our endowment and foundation clients include strategic portfolio design / strategic asset allocation, fee reviews, risk analytics, ESG advisory and operational due diligence. The majority of endowment/foundation clients have appointed bfinance to provide targeted support on a project basis (e.g. 8-12 weeks); long-term support is also available.
Latest case studies
CMA and SAA Support
A Middle Eastern endowment engaged bfinance to assist in refining its Shariah-compliant Strategic...
Strategic Investment Review
A UK-based Charity was seeking support for evaluating their current investment approach and...
Strategic review of FX hedging policy
A Northern-European endowment organisation engaged with bfinance to review its strategic approach...
US/Canada Equity, Dividend Focus
This investor sought to switch from passive strategies towards active management, with the primary...
What our clients say
One of the key reasons we use bfinance is their analysis; the amount of analysis that was done on the submissions was really top notch.
bfinance will provide the solutions. They will hear the problem and they’ll set up the solution. They’ve done that repeatedly on different topics.
The good thing about bfinance is that they do not have a preference. They are not pushing one manager over the other. They will find the best manager for you. It is an unbiased recommendation.
Our latest articles and white papers
Latest Insights Carousel
Global Asset Owner Survey: Risk and Resilience
A secular macroeconomic transition has created an unenviable series of choices—and potential...
Diagnosis: Opportunity? Direct Lending in Healthcare
Private debt investors are eyeing apparently superior returns in healthcare lending, with funds’...
Manager Intelligence and Market Trends - November 2024
bfinance’s quarterly report in November 2024: read the team’s latest insights on institutional...
Forget Hedge Fund Strategy Labels – Here Are Three Groups that Matter
Conventional hedge fund classifications, as taught by bodies such as the CFA Institute and CAIA,...
Seeking Diversity from Investment Managers
Diversity (or the lack of) has been a hot topic across the asset management industry for decades....
Energy Transition and the Commodity Investment Conundrum
‘Energy transition’ tailwinds should, it is often argued, boost the prices of particular...
Investors Should Re-evaluate Fees in the ‘Turbulent Twenties’
In a new macroeconomic environment, cost management requires fresh attention from investors....
Investor Spotlight: AIMCo CIO Goes for ‘Game-changing’ Business Transformation
A major shift is underway at Alberta Investment Management Corporation. The provincially-owned...
Global Sukuk: Sector in Brief
The Global Sukuk market has evolved significantly in recent years, as investors search for new and...
Fixed Income: Time to Re-evaluate Credit Exposures, Consider CLOs?
The 2022-2024 period has provided new tests for investors’ fixed income and alternative credit...