The latest in funds and investments across the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

UBS
UBS Global Wealth Management, part of UBS, said yesterday that it has doubled the assets overseen in its sustainable “cross-asset” portfolio to £1.93 billion ($2.47 billion) in under seven months, highlighting what it sees as appetite for such an investment philosophy.

The Zurich-listed firm also announced that it had become an official partner of the Climate Bonds Initiative, which it said will boost its data capabilities and market-building efforts within the “green bonds” area.

At the start of this year, the portfolio held £947 million in AuM from investors who had migrated from a previous sustainable portfolio that the Swiss bank had been running. In June, the new portfolio was opened to UK investors.

The firm offered private clients exposure to high-grade sustainable fixed income by holding development bank debt. It later also launched development bank debt indices in partnership with Solactive.

A number of banks have made a point about how they help investors deploy money in ways that fit environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns, as well as providing options such as “impact investing”, the process of putting money to work to deliver non-financial results (such as cutting crime or illiteracy) as well as investment returns.

The Fans Agency
Jon Smith, football agent who represented Diego Maradona and the England football team, has formed The Fans Agency, which is offering ordinary fans the chance to become shareholders in the business and ultimately buy shares in players’ agency fees.

Fans will for the first time be part of the £220 million UK football agent market and the agency will distribute a portion of its revenue to support grassroots causes, ensuring that money stays in the game.

The Fans Agency is offering 20 per cent of its equity through investment crowdfunding platform CrowdCube and all fans are being given the opportunity to get involved. The offer is open both to serious investors who might want to put in as much as £10,000 and supporters who want to invest as little as £10. The Fans Agency has already raised more than £210,000 of its £500,000 target.

By becoming shareholders in the business, fans can recommend players they want the agency to represent – effectively, the first crowdfunded scouting network in English football. Fans will be able to buy shares in the fees that the agency earns from individual players, giving them a stake in their careers and deepening their engagement with the game.

Shareholders will also decide where grassroots investment will be spent – for example, on building more five-a-side pitches or repairing ageing facilities - so that everyday players benefit and not only the sport’s superstars.

The Fans Agency is promising to make player care a top priority and the agency will offer commercial, legal, financial and media support to players, in addition to handling contract negotiations and planning career development.