Ireland, the third largest investment fund centre in the world

Our local fund experts in Ireland

Today Ireland is the third largest investment fund centre in the world and is regarded as a key strategic regulated international funds domicile by the world’s leading Asset Managers and funds service providers.

Securities Services has been in Ireland for over 20 years. We offer a full suite of fund administration and depositary bank services across all investment strategies and asset classes. We have experience in servicing a variety of structures, covering traditional investments, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), liquid alternatives, and private assets.

Our client base covers asset managers, alternative asset managers, asset owners and wealth managers. Our 250+ experienced professionals, supported by the specialists in our International Operations Centres around the world, provide the full suite of services for traditional and alternative funds, servicing both Irish and non-domiciled funds.

Our core services for Irish funds

We are a one-stop shop with a comprehensive solution set including fund administration, depositary services including global custody, loan administration, performance and risk analytics, middle office and fund distribution.

We support our clients with an integrated banking offer encompassing forex, passive currency overlay and liquidity management, financing for alternative funds and fund of fund financing.

Specific services for Irish funds

• In today’s fast-changing market environment where clients need agile solutions, we can support the full range of asset classes, strategies and geographies
  • All Irish fund structures authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland – Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferrable Securities (UCITS) and AIFs (Alternative Investment Funds) –
  • Servicing fund structures from other alternative funds domiciles
  • All major traditional and alternative fund strategies including private assets
• Active contributor to the Irish Funds industry working groups
• Leveraging fintech partnerships to bring next-generation services around Net Asset Value (NAV) oversight and risk/ESG data management
• A scalable global organisation with a follow-the-sun operating model
  • ISAE3402 certified for Fund Administration, Private Capital services, Global Custody and Transfer Agency
• Comprehensive services for Management Companies (ManCo)
• Support in fund distribution with access to 80+ distribution countries in Europe, Asia and America with connection to 5,000+ fund distributors

Our vision in Ireland is to be the long-term provider of choice to our clients, through our expertise, innovation, commitment to excellence and trustful relationships.

We are proud of being the “go-to” provider for clients’ new fund launches. As stated by our clients: they appreciate the strong trust they can put in their BNP Paribas Ireland contacts to deliver on requests.

A choice of investment vehicles tailor-made for sponsors’ needs and investors’ preferences

• Open-ended UCITS can be set up as an ICAV, a Unit Trust or a Common Contractual Fund (CCF) appointing a UCITS management company or as a self-managed ICAV
• UCITS can be structured as a single fund with multiple share classes, umbrella funds and master-feeder funds

Within a flexible and business-facilitating environment for mutual funds

• Flexible use for equity funds, bond funds, mixed funds, multiple-asset class funds, money market funds or ETFs
• No minimum number of shareholders or unitholders
• Irish UCITS can benefit from a product passport enabling them to be marketed to investors in the European Economic Area (EEA)
• Foreign investors in Irish UCITS are not subject to tax in Ireland and Ireland has a tax treaty network spanning over 70 countries
• Possibility to list shares or units on stock exchange

A leading regional sustainable finance framework

The Sustainable Finance Disclosure regulation SFDR and the European Taxonomy (Regulation (EU) 2020/852) requirements are applicable to Irish UCITS and AIFs. Funds must include certain sustainability related information in their pre-contractual documents, websites and periodic reports. The extent of information to be disclosed depends on the fund’s classification under SFDR.

A diversified choice of fund regimes and vehicles adapted to any strategy and distribution model

• Open-ended UCITS, Retail Investor Alternative Investment Funds (RIAIFs) and Qualifying Investor Alternative Investment Funds (QIAIFs)
• Combined with a broad range of vehicles available: ICAV, investment companies (Public Limited Company or PLC), Investment Limited Partnership (ILP), Common Contractual Fund (CCF), unit trust

In an innovative and flexible environment for hedge funds/liquid alternatives

• Possible use for hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, or any other liquid alternative strategy
• Different levels of regulation and investment restrictions (leverage, short selling) adapted to target investors
• Irish UCITS can benefit from a product passport enabling them to be marketed to all investors in the European Economic Area
• Irish Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) may rely on the alternative investment fund manager passport where the AIFM is a European authorised AIFM
• Foreign investors in Irish fund structures are not subject to tax in Ireland
• Ireland has a tax treaty network spanning over 70 countries
• Streamlined fund re-domiciliation enables funds to maintain their track record while changing the seat of incorporation

A leading regional sustainable finance framework

The SFDR and the European Taxonomy (Regulation (EU) 2020/852) requirements are applicable to Irish UCITS and AIFs. Funds must include certain sustainability related information in their pre-contractual documents, websites and periodic reports. The extent of information to be disclosed depends on the fund’s classification under SFDR.

A choice of investment vehicles catering for different investor targets and purposes

• Regulated QIAIF, unregulated limited partnerships (1907 LP) and Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV)
• QIAIFs can be either closed-ended, semi open-ended or open-ended and can be structured notably as an Investment Limited Partnership (ILP), an Irish Collective Asset-management Vehicle (ICAV) or a Unit Trust

In a market-oriented and flexible environment for private capital funds

• Authorisation of QIAIFs can be obtained within 24 hours under the fast-track procedure
• Access to the European Venture Capital Fund (EuVECA) and European Long-term Investment Fund (ELTIF) regimes enabling marketing in the European Economic Area with a passport for smaller fund managers
• Very few restrictions on investments, no borrowing or leverage limits as long as appropriate disclosures are in place
• Suitable for a broad range of strategies including private equity, private debt, real estate, infrastructure and other real assets strategies
• No tax on net asset value, exemption of tax on income and gains

Ireland: a leading regional sustainable finance framework

The SFDR and the European Taxonomy (Regulation (EU) 2020/852) requirements are applicable to Irish UCITS and AIFs. Funds must include certain sustainability related information in their pre-contractual documents, websites and periodic reports. The extent of information to be disclosed depends on the fund’s classification under SFDR.

Discover our Ireland market expertise in
mutual funds, private capital funds and hedge funds