Catching up and moving on

This month Arete founder Dr Robert Benson writes his final editorial as MD, looking back over the last 20 years, watching structured investments grow from a ‘Wild West’ niche to a serious global investment alternative. Optimistic for the future, he also presents his replacement, Jan Scibor-Kaminski. Appropriately, this issue catches up with some of the industry’s maturing incumbents and finds out how the future is looking for them. Both broker-dealer Incapital (p. 22), which has grown a successful transatlantic distribution business by emphasising education, and Nomura’s fund-wrapped European growth strategy (p. 18) are good exponents of the sophisticated and investor-focused industry Dr Benson portrays in his parting snapshot. The cover story (p. 26) this month looks at Latin America and how different providers are looking to gain a foothold in this rapidly growing region.