Wealth & Finance International - Fund Awards 2016

www.wealthandfinance-intl.com 17 ICD, as a multilateral financial institution deals with all its 52 member countries, and this is very challenging taking in to account different regulations, laws, currency, and political environment. Despite these challenges, Abdullah is eager to explain how ICD uses its international presence to its advantage, and how this sets it apart from many of its competitors. “ICD’s operational model is slightly different to that of other competitors. The firm have access to variety of deal pipeline since we operate in more than 52 member countries. Our multilateral status gives us priv- ilege to tap in to different markets and to shift from market to another depending on available opportunities, as well as the ability to negotiate superior terms when agreeing on an investment/credit terms in order to participate in transactions. “In order to stay ahead of emerging developments in the sector across these various countries ICD is represented physically on the ground on all the key geographical regions via ICD and IDB gateway offices. We are always on the lookout for new investment opportunities and have a dedicated team that monitors credit/investment risk of existing invest- ments as well as analysis of new transactions. “Alongside this, ICD has excellent relationship with regional financial institutions and can collaborate with them on deals and transactions on a case-by-case basis. Our reach into emerging countries as well as our relationship in developed countries allows us to provide a platform for knowledge transfer on innovation thus remaining connected to the changing dynamics of the various regions and responding to them adequately. “Most of ICD’s staff are multinational with extensive experience in emerging markets as well as international markets. This gives the firm a great edge. ICD’s clients are mostly private sector, Sovereign wealth funds, and High net worth individuals. ICD looks for the best performers who not only have the best education but also have work experience not only in emerging but also developed countries and have the ability to bring those best practices within our organization.” Looking to the future, Abdullah believes that the firm’s current projects will provide it with a promising and opportunity laden future, despite operating in a tough market. “All funds managed by ICD have an exciting pipeline of projects that are currently undergoing credit, investment and legal due diligence. We have transactions currently under review in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Sub-Saharan Africa and part of the Southeast Asia. We have a focus on sectors contributing to the overall development of economies. Currently we are considering healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, housing, and renewable energy projects. “Within the market currently, lack of liquidity is the biggest issue facing the funds industry. The best way of adapting to this is for ICD to differ- entiate its product offering from that which is available in the market, through partnering with the best fund managers with a track record in the focus of our specific funds, which will be our focus in the coming months.” As a final comment, Abdullah describes the attributes which he believes have helped make ICD the success it is today. “Strict underwriting and invest- ment selection discipline in terms of credit/investment worthiness is the key factor in differentiating successful funds from those that are unsuccessful. Good investing opportunities are present in various ICD member countries but it is crucial that proper due diligence of the investee is con- ducted from a credit, investment and legal risk perspective in order to avoid losses from invest- ments. Further, it is paramount to have an efficient post investment portfolio monitoring system to alert the fund manager as an early warning sign to resolve potential issues in the investment from a credit perspective, this in turn will allow for an increase if not protect the target returns of the fund”