Regulatory Influence & Compliance Implementation

The burden of regulatory and compliance implementation for alternative investment funds continues to increase and the outlook for next year is expected to be even busier.

2022 saw substantial new rules proposed by the US SEC, many of which have quite severe implications for our member firms. These require ongoing intervention by AIMA, as we seek to limit the most negative consequences. 

In Europe, the revisions to AIFMD are still being finalised and our persistent engagement is likely to be rewarded with a workable outcome for our members. We are confident in our ability to have a voice in regulatory outcomes, as we experienced with the final version of the ELTIF reform, carrying many of our recommendations. 

Elsewhere, in APAC, our notable advocacy work includes climate risk disclosure, enforcement related reforms and FSIE tax refinements in Hong Kong, regulation, and fiscal tax reforms in Japan, ASX investment products offering in Australia and input on the MAS talent development program and the granting of industry employment visas in Singapore.

In 2023, AIMA’s Government and Regulatory Affairs team will continue to engage with policymakers to represent the views of AIMA’s members and promote effective, proportionate rulemaking for the hedge fund and private credit industry. We will also support members with the implementation work that will arise from rules that have recently been finalised, including the extensive SEC work programme.

Compass: Practical Guides, DDQs, Insights 

Given the high volume of content published by AIMA each year, we decided to restructure our large library of practical guidance, DDQs, thought leadership and insights to make them more accessible to members. All this content can now be found by using Compass, a new navigation tool found on the AIMA.org homepage.

In 2022 AIMA added 16 new member-only DDQs, industry guides and sound practice guides crafted by our various member working groups, covering everything from compliance to ESG, digital assets and cyber security, among several other topics.

AIMA also published 10 new pieces of market research produced in partnership with AIMA members, including our quarterly Hedge Fund Confidence Index, Emerging Stronger, the latest in our series of research papers which examines the small and emerging fund manager universe as well as a study responding to the widespread concerns around Hong Kong’s status as a global hub.

Communications and stakeholder engagement

In 2022, AIMA recorded more than 200 instances of coverage of our activities, with one in 10 being references in Tier 1 publications.

The communications team is now focusing on stimulating engagement with media and other stakeholders through the production of short-form digital content and multimedia content.

AIMA’s digital media strategy also extends to broadcast, having secured speaking slots for senior AIMA staff on Bloomberg TV in Hong Kong and CNBC in the US, along with guest appearances on several popular industry podcasts. Our Long Short podcast continues to grow its listenership, having attracted over 20,000 unique listeners over the past year, making it the top 10% most shared podcast.

Meanwhile, AIMA’s quarterly journal continues to grow its readership, with around 30,000 subscribers now signed up to receive the very latest industry thought leadership.

Investor engagement 

The past year saw the establishment of our Global Investor Board, an advisory body to aid better understanding between GPs and LPs. It is comprised of CIOs and other leading institutional allocators from around the world, providing valuable insights to help managers engage more constructively with their investor base. 

In 2023, we will be offering opportunities to join roundtable discussions with this board and to meet them at our investor-facing conferences in Sydney, Toronto, and Miami. This board has also contributed to the third instalment of the Alignment of Interests series, soon to be published.

Events 

Our 200+ events are mostly free to members and range from flagship conferences around the world to highly focused educational round tables and manager training sessions. Next year, AIMA & ACC’s Private Credit Investor Forum will return to Miami, and we will move the Global Policy and Regulatory Forum to Washington D.C.. 

Our large in-person forums are back in force in the APAC region and our Global Investor Forum will once again be held in Toronto. Our committees and working groups are an important gateway for members to participate and connect, so please contact us if you would like to join. 

AIMA’s events calendar remained comprehensive, with several key conferences globally, interspersed with specialist webinars and virtual events covering every major topic to ensure our members stay well informed.

We hosted over 200 in-person and virtual events throughout the year, including three new conferences attended by more than 17,000 delegates and 700 speakers from 22 countries, including senior policymakers, regulators, institutional investors, fund managers and other sector specialists.

Thank you

Thank you for your ongoing membership of AIMA. 

Our mission is to influence, educate and communicate, and in so doing, to be a very useful source of intelligence whether your role be in legal, compliance, operations, or investor relations. 
 

The Long-Short is a podcast by the Alternative Investment Management Association, focusing on the very latest insights on the alternative investment industry.

Each episode will examine topical areas of interest from across the alternative investment universe with news, views and analysis delivered by AIMA’s global team, as well as a host of industry experts.

In the last episode of The Long-Short of 2022, AIMA CEO, Jack Inglis, looks back at a busy year for the association and the alternative investment industry, and sets out AIMA's stall for what to expect in 2023.

Listen to this episode and subscribe on Spotify

Listen to this episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Listen to this episode and subscribe on Google Podcasts

Listen to this episode and subscribe on Amazon Music

Disclaimer
This podcast is the sole property of the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA). This audio production and content are intended as indicative guidance only and are not to be taken or treated as a substitute for specific advice, whether legal advice or otherwise. AIMA permits use or sharing of the content in media or as an educational resource, provided always that proper attribution is made. The rights in the content and production, including copyright and database rights, belong to AIMA.