A very professional and exceptional management firm, First Asset Management Ltd is doubtlessly an industry leader in investment management in Nigeria, today. With a proven track record of creating and delivering innovative and customer-centric services, the company has consistently been offering investment solutions aimed at helping people to acquire, build, manage and preserve wealth. In fact, it happens to be one of the top investment managers in Nigeria that stands out in investment professionalism and innovation.
A subsidiary of First Merchant Bank, which is in turn a subsidiary of the FBN Holdings Group, the firm leverages the distinctive heritage of its parent company to provide unparalleled expertise in investment wealth management and financial advisory to generate superior risk- adjusted returns for clients.
“At First Asset Management, we serve the needs of individuals and institutional clientele, offering a variety of solutions that cut across money market, fixed income, equities, multi-asset solutions as well as opportunities that provide structured access to alternative investments. We provide and manage investment strategies for clients in two principal forms, customised solutions and pooled solution,’’ said Ike Onyia, First Asset Management’s Managing Director.
According to Onyia, the company has over the last fifteen years of existence achieved a solid track record of consistent performance across different investment strategies. This performance record, he said, is reflected in both its Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Collective Investment Schemes, also known as Mutual Funds, and other bespoke investment programmes available to investors.
He stated that their pooled solution comprises of mutual funds which are used by both individual and institutional investors who may not have the expertise and or the time to manage their funds to achieve an exposure to financial assets. Expatiating further, he stressed that their array of mutual funds pool money from different investors to create a sizeable investment fund which is then professionally managed in line with pre-set objectives and risk profile by their firm.
The Company which is tops in investment professionalism and innovation in the country has various mutual funds on offer to clients. These include the FBN Money Market Fund; FBN Bond Fund; FBN Halal Fund; FBN Balanced Funds; FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund which offers exposures to equities; as well as two US Dollar denominated products – the FBN Dollar Fund and FBN Specialised Dollar Fund that allow investor earn returns in US Dollar.
On what investors stand to gain by investing in these mutual funds, Onyia said “Our Mutual Funds provide investor access to an experienced and professional management team with a strong and recognised track record of industry leading returns. Furthermore, our heritage as part of the FBN Holdings group, the oldest banking group in Nigeria, is a key part of our value proposition. In keeping with that heritage, we ensure that best practices, especially with respect to investor protection, are paramount in everything we do. This includes ensuring that your monies managed by First Asset Management are held with registered investment custodians to ensure that your investments are held separately and securely.
He added that the things that make the firm stand out in the industry is its corporate philosophy, brand promise and core values. ‘’Our customer-centric nature, entrepreneurial spirit and innovation places us at the forefront of the industry. Also, we strive to be inclusive, sustainable and innovative at all times, and we hold ourselves to strong financial and community stewardship expectations within our brand.’’
He believed the future outlook for the mutual fund industry is very bright given that Nigerians are beginning to understand the importance of investing, in the drive to build wealth maintaining that the industry will continue to grow exponentially.
On the goals of the company, Onyia informed that it is to be the leading asset and wealth manager in Africa within the next 10 years. He maintained that they have embraced a pioneering spirit that pushes boundaries and opens up new possibilities for all their stakeholders and that as they continually innovate to churn out world class investment solutions, they would also focus on educating investors about investments, markets and the various solutions available. He added that investor education would be a key goal for the company.