iCapital Network is to acquire the alternative investments feeder fund platform from Wells Fargo’s (NYSE: WFC) Global Alternative Investments (GAI) division. As a part of the transaction, Wells Fargo is making a strategic investment in iCapital under the terms of iCapital’s latest fundraising round.
Wells Fargo’s alternative investment feeder fund platform supports a full suite of alternative solutions, including private equity, private debt, hedge funds, private real estate and direct private investments across approximately 70 investment vehicles. Last month, iCapital announced its agreement to acquire the Artivest platform and operating businesses. Upon completion of both transactions, iCapital’s platform will service nearly USD58 billion in client assets across more than 720 funds, 120,000 underlying accounts, and more than 70 white label partners.
“We are enormously excited to forge this partnership with Wells Fargo as another important milestone on our mission to create the industry standard technology solution for private investments,” says Lawrence Calcano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iCapital Network. “This agreement is emblematic of the great strides we have made to provide greater access, efficiency and transparency for the wealth management community seeking alternative investing strategies for their high-net-worth clients.”
Darrell Cronk, president of Wells Fargo Investment Institute, says: “We are pleased to partner with iCapital to deliver alternative investments to enhance the experience for our advisors and clients. This transaction will allow us to continue to provide innovative alternative investment solutions to our clients as well as upgrade the overall platform and launch new offerings.”
iCapital’s white-label technology will be leveraged to streamline and automate ongoing operations and fund administration services for Wells Fargo’s alternative investment feeder funds. It will also provide best-in-class support to Wells Fargo’s advisors and their high-net-worth client base. As part of the transaction, iCapital will offer employment to a team of Wells Fargo employees who currently support operations for the GAI Feeder Fund Platform. The transitioning team will continue to support the fund portfolio to ensure continuity of service.
