The latest news in investment offerings, financial products and other services relevant to wealth advisors and their clients.

Sarasin Asset Management
Sarasin Asset Management (SAM), a London-based subsidiary of Sarasin & Partners catering to US-connected clients, has launched the Sarasin US Client Model Portfolio Service.

The service will expand SAM’s offering to UK advisors serving US-connected clients living outside the US, giving advisors wider access to the firm's investment expertise, the firm said in a statement. The model portfolio service (MPS) provides an all-in-one investment solution covering asset allocation, fund selection and risk management, with portfolios managed within clearly defined risk parameters.

The Sarasin US Client Model Portfolio Service, built on the framework of Sarasin & Partners’ existing MPS offering, comprises three strategies: Balanced, Growth and Equity. To provide flexibility for advisors managing the investment and financial planning needs of US-connected clients, the strategies are available in sterling or dollars.

The Sarasin US Client Model Portfolio Service addresses several challenges associated with serving US-connected clients, including the complexity of cross-border investment and reporting requirements and the practical challenges of servicing discretionary portfolios of different sizes. The service will also support advisors managing intergenerational wealth transfers, whose clients’ circumstances change through relocation between the UK and US.

The MPS builds on more than 20 years of experience managing investments for US-connected individuals and families, drawing on Sarasin & Partners’ global thematic investment expertise and more than three decades of multi-asset investing experience.

“Clients are more mobile than ever, moving between the UK and US for work, family and lifestyle reasons, and that creates increasingly complex investment and reporting needs,” Nick Wood, director at Sarasin Asset Management, said. “The launch of our US MPS gives advisors a dedicated investment solution for US-connected clients, combining our long-standing investment expertise with the flexibility to support advisors and their clients, as their circumstances evolve.”

“As advisory firms continue to consolidate across the US and UK, demand for scalable, efficient solutions that can support cross-border client needs is only increasing,” he added. “This launch is designed to meet that need, allowing us to support advisors and their clients across different stages of their wealth journey while maintaining the same high-conviction, long-term investment approach.”

Carmignac
Carmignac, a Paris-based asset manager, has expanded its UK-domiciled fund range with the launch of FP Carmignac Tech Solutions. The launch marks a milestone for Carmignac UK, bringing this strategy to the market in a structure tailored to UK investors, the firm said in a statement.

Originally introduced in continental Europe in June 2024 as part of Carmignac’s Luxembourg-domiciled SICAV range, the strategy is managed by Citywire AA-rated fund manager Kristofer Barrett. FP Carmignac Tech Solutions aims to capture long-term opportunities across the global technology sector, investing across the full technology value chain.

Since its launch in June 2024, Carmignac Portfolio Tech Solutions has returned 105.5 per cent, with an annualised return of 37.2 per cent, outperforming both its reference indicator, the MSCI ACWI Information Technology 10/40 Index, and the category average, by 23.0 per cent and 41.5 per cent, respectively, and ranking in the top quartile of its category. With €846 million ($947 million) of assets under management, it is one of the fastest-growing UCITS technology funds of 2026.

“We believe we are at the outset of a multi-year technological revolution that will continue to create compelling long-term investment opportunities and remain an important area of focus for clients,” Gavin Ward, head of UK business development at Carmignac, said. “Technology is a fast-moving sector where stock selection is critical, and Kristofer’s high-conviction and disciplined approach gives investors the opportunity to allocate very selectively through a structure favoured by UK clients and widely available on their investment platforms of choice.”

“Our key objective with this fund is to uncover overlooked as well as emerging leaders across the technology value chain, helping investors build genuinely diversified and differentiated exposure to this rapidly advancing sector,” Barrett added.

First Abu Dhabi Bank
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), a United Arab Emirate’s global bank, has completed a two-way transfer of a portfolio of digital assets into and out of regulated custody through Komainu, a regulated digital asset custodian. The transfer into and out of custody, with instantaneous settlement, marks the operationalisation of a key component of FAB’s institutional digital asset financing infrastructure.

The capability enables digital asset portfolios to be transferred as collateral, an important building block for institutional financing transactions including digital asset-backed repurchase agreements, the firm said in a statement. FAB's digital asset financing capabilities are already available to institutional clients, with the bank now working towards its first transactions.

The transfers operationalise FAB Global Markets’ collaboration with Komainu, integrating regulated digital asset custody and connectivity capabilities with FAB’s existing infrastructure. The bank is now able to move digital assets both into and out of the custody environment, validating the infrastructure required to support institutional digital asset financing activity.

This achievement builds on FAB’s broader digital assets journey, including its "recent milestones" in live tokenised deposit transactions completed with Citi through Swift Ledger and the issuance of MENA's first digitally-native green bond on Euroclear's D-FMI. Together, these initiatives reflect FAB's progress in connecting traditional financial markets with the digital asset ecosystem and developing practical digital asset capabilities for institutional clients.

Octopus Ventures
Octopus Ventures, part of Octopus Investments and a pan-European venture capital team, has announced the first close of its second pre-seed fund, First Cheque II (FC II). FC II is aiming to double the raise of £10 million ($13.4 million) for First Cheque I.

First Cheque I and II are pre-seed funds that back entrepreneurs from the beginning of their startup journey, the firm said in a statement. They invest in UK and European businesses spanning sectors including AI, biotech and healthcare, deeptech, fintech, robotics and the technologies reshaping the physical world. As with its first iteration, FC II is building a diversified portfolio of more than 80 founders across the UK and Europe.

FC II combines pre-seed expertise with the operating heritage and firepower of Octopus Group. Kirsten Connell was part of the original Seedcamp investment team, while Tilly Fleming is an alumnus of Venrex and a member of Forbes’ Finance 30 Under 30.

As part of the first close, FC II has acquired the fund and portfolio created by OnStage, an early-stage investment platform founded in 2020 by Taos Edmondson, partner at dmg ventures, and Hector Mason, general partner at Episode 1 Ventures. Following the acquisition, FC II will begin investing with six portfolio companies, including Serova Bio, which uses AI to develop personalised cancer vaccines, the firm continued. Taos Edmondson co-founder of OnStage will be staying on as a venture partner at Octopus Ventures, as it actively invests across stages while growing organically and inorganically. 

“Our focus is straightforward: find Europe’s most promising entrepreneurs, move quickly when we believe in them, and help them build the foundations of transformative businesses. We are incredibly grateful to the investors who have backed us again, as well as those joining us for the first time,” Kirsten Connell, partner at Octopus Ventures and FC II manager, said.