ICapital Network, a financial technology platform seeking to democratise access to alternative investments, has launched an educational collaboration with the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association to offer CAIA's Fundamentals of Alternative Investments certificate program to its private member network of registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, private banks and family offices.

This initiative is a "critical part of our mission" to democratize alternative investments for the retail investor, according to Lawrence Calcano (pictured), chief executive officer of ICapital Network. "Alongside a curated menu of institutional-caliber investments and the tech-based workflows that streamline the complexities of private funds, we see education as a cornerstone of our offering to the retail market," said Calcano. "Our immediate goal for this type of program is to increase the level of understanding and confidence advisors and investors have with alternative asset classes, strategies and exposures. Our long-term goal is better informed investors."

The program is an online, self-directed course of study offering a base of knowledge in alternative investments for those who need to understand, discuss and position these asset classes. The program is comprised of 20 one-hour modules that examine core concepts in alternative investing including risk management and due diligence, as well as hedge funds, real assets, private equity, commodities and structured products, and is aimed at filling a "critical education gap" for professionals in areas such as asset and wealth management, accounting and law.

The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association is a pioneer in alternative investments education and was ICapital's first choice when we the firm begun searching for an education partner, according to Calcano. "The CAIA Charter is a globally recognized credential and we've received a strong response from our network to the Fundamentals certificate program, which was developed from the CAIA Charter curriculum as an introduction to these asset classes," said Calcano. "Looking ahead, we are committed to offering more training events."

Calcano also said that although the firm is not familiar with cases of structured products miselling and that the program is not aimed at a particular asset class or product set, "there is always an opportunity to improve investor education".

"We think this is particularly true in alternatives where it is a newer asset class form many advisors and their clients," said Calcano. "Alternatives are complex vehicles and include many different variations and structures, and they all warrant a deeper dive into things like mechanics and characteristics, the role in portfolio construction and expected performance before taking any action. Our hope is that enhanced education for advisors and their clients around these unique asset classes will support the investment decision-making process."

ICapital recently expanded the Education section of its public website to include a wide range of new materials - including whitepapers, short reports, commentary, market research, videos, podcasts and blogs - to help investors and advisors understand more about the mechanics of alternative investments, where they fit within portfolios and how they are expected to perform in different market conditions.

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