The latest offerings in investments, such as funds and structured products, and other notable developments.

Albion Capital
Albion Capital has closed £58.5 million in its latest VCT top-up round ahead of schedule and over-subscribed by £13.5 million, with strong support from existing and new shareholders, the investment manager said this week.

The latest fundraising brings Albion’s AuM across six VCTs to around £500 million, supporting 65 businesses. Investors have been offered exposure to high-growth software and healthcare companies that have shown strong resilience and growth prospects throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these have been in cybersecurity, fintech, digital health, and data analytics, the firm said of its tax-efficient trusts offerings.

Will Fraser-Allen, managing partner at Albion Capital, said the range is also attracting younger investors seeing the impact of technology and healthcare breakthroughs. "Investors are responding to the opportunity to support businesses which are increasingly relevant to them," he said.

Nickel Digital Asset Management
Nickel Digital Asset Management – which this publication recently interviewed – earlier this week reported that it now oversees $150 million of assets, rising more than three times in over six months. The business invests in bitcoin, which has surged in price and is one of the most dramatic stories in financial markets of recent years.

The firm, founded in early 2019, said it has also launched its fourth fund this month, the Digital Leaders Altcoin Fund, which is designed to capture the expansion of the broader digital assets market, outside of bitcoin. 

NDAM has a “market-neutral” Digital Asset Arbitrage Fund, (inception in June 2019); the Digital Gold Institutional Fund, and Digital Factors Fund.

Amati Global Investors
Edinburgh-based investment boutique Amati Global Investors, specialising in small-company and venture capital trust investing, has launched a metals fund.

The new offering, called the TB Amati Strategic Metals Fund, holds a range of listed metals and mining companies. The portfolio is structured as an open-ended investment company.

The metals include but are not limited to gold, silver, copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, the platinum group and rare earth metals, Amati said in a recent statement. It will be managed by Georges Lequime and Mark Smith of UK-based London Investment Consultants. These men have managed Earth Gold Fund UI Eur, a pure precious metals fund, marketed predominantly within Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Setting out its investment rationale, the managers said demand for specialist metals will continue to grow because of a switch from fossil fuels, prompting demand for copper – vital in electricity distribution – as well as substances such as lithium and nickel.