Investment banking VS Wealth management

 In the financial sector the most successful and well known field is investment banking and wealth management.Though there are several junctions between them, they are completely different fields. Let’s see what makes investment banking and wealth management a separate line of work.

 

Main differences between Investment banking and Wealth management

Investment banking is where bankers provide services through their expertise to an entity/company rather than serving an individual. Whereas wealth managers provide their expertise to a person whose net worth is higher.

High-net-worth individuals who are clients of wealth management companies are usually business owners. They may wish to obtain advice on business restructuring or potential mergers and acquisitions from the investment banking field, and may wish to obtain investment banking products. IPO or bond issuance

 

Origin of Investment banking in India

Investment banking firms in India were first established in the 19th century. Back then, only non-indian banks were overpowered across the country. In the 1970s, India's state-owned banks entered the company and became the first financial institution in India to provide commercial banking services by establishing commercial banks and ICICI securities offices.

By the time of 1980, financial banking, commercial banking and investment banking firms in india had grown rapidly.

One of the top most investment banking firms india is Avendus Capital founded in the year 1999. It is an investment banking company that originated in India, specializing in providing various services in the fields of asset management, investment banking, wealth management, and private equity.

 

Wealth management and its role:

Wealth management only refers to all aspects of fund management. Wealth management companies make money by charging fees for the various services they provide. In the investment field, customers usually sell managed account services, that is, discretionary investment accounts where the company's investment professionals conduct transactions on behalf of the customer.

 

Conclusion:

Almost all of the larger banks have investment banking and wealth management (private banking) departments, and generally retail banks and asset management companies, to take advantage of cross-selling opportunities in their customer base.

 Large asset management companies and wealth management companies have the advantages of efficient execution and free / cheap market research. Investment banks benefit from direct contact with major clients. Retail clients start a small business, they get rich and they want a wealth manager, they want to open up the capital markets, they need an investment bank.

Diversification of investors to long-only funds

INVESTMENT BANKS

Investment banking is a type of financial institution or can be referred to as one of the branches of banking that provides with means for raising capital, mergers and acquisitions, services in the nature of advisory services to the governments, organisations and corporations. Investment banking companies operate as go-betweens for investors (those with money to invest) and corporations (those with money to invest) (who require capital to grow and run their businesses).

 

WORKING OF INVESTMENT BANKS

The difference between an investment bank and a bank's investment banking division (IBD) might be confusing at times. Underwriting, M&A, sales and trading, equities research, asset management, commercial banking, and retail banking are just a few of the services offered by full-service investment banks. Only underwriting and M&A consulting services are provided by a bank's investment banking section.

 

MOVEMENT OF INVESTORS

The global second quarter bear market rebound in major stock markets brought up memories of the tremendous returns of the 1990s, which were wiped out by the internet bust and recent US financial scandals.

As a result of these losses, institutional investors and certain investment banking sectors have shifted their portfolios away from traditional mutual funds, which aim to beat an index benchmark, and toward alternative investments, which promise capital preservation and positive returns regardless of market indices or market conditions. Long-only funds are one example.

 

LONG-ONLY FUNDS

This type of funds invests in long positions, seeks out cheap assets, and reduces volatility and downside risk by holding cash, fixed income, and other asset classes. Options, futures, and other derivatives may be used by this fund to decrease or "hedge" risk and gain exposure to underlying physical investments, but not for speculative purposes. Investment funds that aren't hedge funds can also provide exposure. Long-Only ARFs, in contrast to typical funds that seek relative returns, pursue strategies that they believe will produce in positive or "real" returns independent of any index benchmark under all market conditions.

 

Investing in hedge funds

 

UNDERSTANDING HEDGE FUNDS

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, hedge funds have become increasingly popular in financial portfolios. Hedge funds are simply a fancy word for an investing partnership with more freedom to invest aggressively and in a broader range of financial goods than most mutual funds. It's the union of a professional fund manager (commonly referred to as the general partner) and investors (typically referred to as limited partners). They put their money into the fund as a group.

 

AIM

The market direction neutrality of most mutual funds is a recurring subject. Hedge fund management teams resemble traders more than traditional investors since they intend to profit whether the market rises or falls. Some mutual funds use these strategies more than others, and not all mutual funds actually hedge their positions.

 

BENEFITS OF HEDGE FUNDS

The goal of a hedge fund is to maximise investor profits while minimising risk. If this structure and objectives seem a lot like mutual fund objectives, that's because they are, but the parallels end there. Hedge funds are often thought to be more risky, aggressive, and exclusive than mutual funds. Limited partners fund the assets in a hedge fund, while the general partner administers the fund according to its strategy. Hedge funds get their moniker from the trading tactics that fund managers are allowed to utilise.

 

EXPERTISE IN FINANCIAL SERVICES

Our company's experts have a lot of experience in regulatory and financial advisory services. Our team of experts has in-depth understanding of domestic regulations as well as hands-on expertise with difficulties relevant to all of the fund sectors we work with. We've made agreements with top advisors who have already worked with regulators and can offer useful insight.

Our financial advisory services and advisors are focused on identifying opportunities and leveraging them to the customers' benefit through customised and innovative ways. The technique is based on complimentary elements such as industry/sector knowledge, multidimensional tools, and the ability to supply services both locally and worldwide.

Understanding the concept of asset/liability management

MEANING OF ASSET/LIABILITY MANAGEMENT

The concept of Asset/liability management means the use of assets and cash flows towards reduction of risks of a company or body corporate from losing money because of its inability to pay a liability within the stipulated period. Assets and liabilities that are well-managed can help one increase the rate and chance of profitability. This method is used to assess the risk associated with bank loan portfolios and pension plans. The economic worth of equity is also included.

 

CONCEPT OF ASSET/LIABILITY MANAGEMENT

Asset and liability management is a business strategy that helps firms deal with risks that arise from a mismatch between liabilities and assets. Changes in the economic landscape, such as changing interest rates or liquidity requirements, might cause these differences.

The main goal of a robust ALM framework is long-term stability and profitability. They achieve this by carefully controlling credit quality, liquidity requirements, and the availability of sufficient operational capital. Unlike the other available techniques of risk management, this concept is a collaborative approach that employs frameworks to examine and analyse the complete balance sheet of an organization. It aids in ensuring that assets are invested to their full potential and liabilities are regulated over time.

 

RISK MITIGATION EXAMPLE OF ALM

Despite the fact that ALM frameworks varies substantially amongst companies, they all involve the mitigation of a wide range of risks. Interest rate risk and liquidity risk are two of the most basic hazards addressed by ALM.

·         Interest Rate Risk - The dangers of changing interest rates and the impact of unstable interest rates on future cash flows.

Deposits and loans are two examples. Interest rates have an impact on both, therefore altering rates might result in asset and liability mismatches.

·         The ability of a financial organisation to liquidate assets is known as liquidity risk. Its financial situation will suffer if it is unable to do so.

·         Other Risks - ALM can also be used to manage currency risk and capital market risk.

 

Various sorts of enterprises, such as banks, financial institutions in India, non-bank finance companies in India, insurance companies, asset management companies, and even non-financial companies, employ Asset Liability Management to meet regulatory or prudential criteria and are benefitted by this approach.

Why invest in hedge funds?

Hedge funds are a type of mutual funds that are unregistered private instruments partnerships that trade in different types of instruments like securities, non-securities, derivatives, etc. Hedge funds are not subject to the same regulatory requirements that mutual funds need to fulfill. These investments are not regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). All other types of mutual funds are required to follow such regulations.

Hedge funds are pooled money from individual investors, high net worth individuals (HNIs), banks, corporations, etc. that are collectively invested in different securities in the national and international markets. There are different strategies using which these funds are invested, and each of these strategies differ. Hedge fund managers invest their client’s funds based on their specific requirements.

In event driven hedge funds, the investors take advantage of the price movements in the market, for example, when a corporation is involved in a merger or acquisition, etc. Another strategy is long/short selling in which the funds of the portfolio are equally distributed among long and short positions in the market. This way, the portfolio has a better risk-return policy, as the risk is mitigated in such a way that even when the market is not performing well, the portfolio performs well. 

There are different types of hedge mutual funds like domestic, off shore, and fund of funds. Domestic hedge funds are those investments that are made within the country and are subject to taxation by the Government of India. Offshore funds are invested in countries outside the home country, preferably to reap the benefits of low taxation in such countries. Fund of funds are an entirely different type of funds that are invested in other hedge funds, instead of the securities. Hedge funds carry high risk as it does not fall under the regulation of SEBI, but it also earns high returns as it is a pooled investment vehicle. This type of investment is a highly suitable credit solution for high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), banks, corporations, etc.

Create a balanced financial portfolio

Investors have only one goal in mind - add value to the money they are investing. In these unprecedented times, it is of utmost importance for all investors to invest wisely, and in such a way that they make most of the fluctuations in the market. This is where long-short funds come into the picture. This is a specific type of mutual fund portfolio in which some investments are held long and some investments are shorted. The objective of this type of investment is to add value to the client regardless of how the market is performing. The fund managers do this by investing on behalf of the client in long and short positions in the market. When the manager feels that a certain investment will do poorly, he/she shorts that fund by selling. In most cases, only stocks that are overvalued at the moment are shorted. Long short funds in India are relatively new, but have been found to add value to the investors.

 

This investment portfolio is also referred to as the 130/30 fund strategy. For instance, a fund manager invests 100% of the client’s initial capital in long positions in the market, then goes on to invest 30% by shorting the stocks/securities. To explain it further, the initial investment of 100% will remain in the market, while any profits earned by shorting the 30% stocks/securities will be reinvested again in the market. Through this strategy, the fund managers are in a position to create a portfolio worth 160% from the initial investment of 100%.

 

Long-short mutual funds add value to the customers by giving them the opportunity to invest in a diversified portfolio. The investment does not depend entirely on the market conditions as the diversified investment helps in creating a stabilized financial portfolio. Unlike other investment portfolios, investors have the opportunity to take advantage of both rising and falling markets in case of long-short funds. Proper advantage can be taken from the volatility in the market. There are multiple top asset management companies in India that are involved in long-short funds. One of the major advantages of this type of portfolio being that short selling is permitted in this case, while it is not for other types of mutual fund investments.

Sustainable investment is the way forward

The world is changing drastically, and along with it the need for us to be aware of sustainable practices in all aspects of our lives. In the long run, it is important for all companies and governments to be more mindful of different factors affecting the environment and should actively look at giving back to the society that nurtures them. The concept of ESG (Environment, Social, and Government) funds is a sustainable investing act that measures a company’s score on different aspects like environment-friendliness, labor laws, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, human resource rights, etc. This is a means to create accountability for corporations to be responsible towards their environment and the people who work for them.

 

ESG investing is the need of the hour because it benefits both the company and the investors in the long run. Now more than ever, it is evident that companies that do not adopt sustainable practices and pollute the environment will not be able to sustain in the long run. ESG funds in India is a subtle push in the right direction, which will in turn be a win-win situation for all the parties involved. Many investors are also actively looking into investing in more such companies that are considerate towards the environment and willing to give back to the community. Data also shows that companies that rate high on the ESG score have a good debt-equity ratio.

 

Nowadays it is common for companies to have strong values that help them in building a socially and environmentally responsible business model. ESG funds India are causing a change in the marketplace, it is a good practice to show both companies and stakeholders that the future is not only about profitability. This initiative also helps to align their personal values and goals with their investment practices, they can invest only in those companies that have a high rating of ESG score. Many large investors are already adapting to such practices, and since it is within their capability to make a difference through their investment, corporations, and governments must also be ready to take responsibility and accountability.