Standard Chartered unveils sports investing opportunities for high net worth clients.

Standard
Chartered has just launched a new alternative fund
focused on sports for ultra-high net worth and high net
worth clients under its Global Private Bank. 

With major sports leagues and teams seeking alternative financing
options, the industry has seen a growing trend in sports
investing as a new investment avenue, the firm said in a
statement. Recent high-profile sports-related transactions among
leading family offices have increased sports investing as an
alternative asset class for UHNW individuals wanting to
strengthen and diversify their portfolios.

The firm highlighted how the media industry has seen a growth in
media contract value of 16 to 17 per cent in the last 10 years,
with major sports leagues around the world signing
record-breaking broadcasting deals. The steady revenue-generating
model in sports has been gaining the interest of private
investors. The newly-launched fund, managed by a global
alternative investment manager, focuses on sports, media and
entertainment opportunities, tapping into this growing
interest in sports investing. Standard Chartered is one of the
first banks to launch this fund. 

“We have observed strong growing interest from our clients in
alternative asset classes such as sports investing. The growing
media industry is an impetus for us to act now,” Samir Subberwal,
global head, wealth solutions, deposits and mortgages, and chief
client officer, said. “It is therefore timely to leverage the
strong expertise of leading global fund managers to connect our
high net worth clients to professionally managed solutions that
provide access to hard-to-access opportunities.”

“As clients increasingly look to incorporate alternatives into
their portfolios to achieve greater diversity and long-term
growth, the new fund offers a professionally managed solution for
our clients to access high-quality private market opportunities
with institutional-grade risk management and oversight,” Sumeet
Bhambri, global head, advisory and managed investments, wealth
solutions, Standard Chartered, added.

In February this year, the bank rolled out a European private
credit strategy fund amid strong demand for European private
credit. It also launched the Private
Markets Co-Investment Club, with an exclusive
partnership with Ardian, to provide UHNW clients with direct
access to co-investment opportunities in the private markets.

The story is also example of how the worlds of investment,
sponsorship and sports
overlap. As eagle-eyed views of the Master’s golf tournament
in Augusta would have seen over the past weekend, banks such as
Berenberg and Morgan Stanley are among the sponsors; UBS, the
Swiss bank, is a partner with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS
Formula 1 team. And in the case of Standard Chartered, it
sponsors Liverpool FC, tapping into the popularity of English
Premier League teams around the world, such as in Asia.