Surf’s up as leading Sydney prime broker opens shop in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 17 January 2019 - Riding a wave of growth powered by restrictive global financial reforms, specialist prime broker Invast Global will today announce a new Hong Kong office.

"Hong Kong is a hotbed of start-up and emerging hedge funds and brokerages," said Invast Global CEO Gavin White.

"We've built a reputation for being at the forefront of new technology, winning awards for innovation, whilst maintaining a human, flexible and client-centric approach.

"We believe this dynamic and exciting market strongly complements our trademark, responsive and high-tech approach and we look forward to giving Hong Kong's innovative businesses an alternative to the traditional bank-based prime broker service offerings.

"Over the past six years, we've seen a growing vacuum in the market as traditional investment banks curb their business lines in response to increasingly restrictive global regulatory reforms -- and that suits us.

"We believe demand for alternatives to traditional global investment bank offerings will continue to accelerate over the coming decades as scheduled regulatory reforms take effect and outdated, legacy technology systems continue to constrain the ability of the banks to evolve and compete."

Invast Global has forged an enviable reputation in the institutional brokerage industry since launching operations from its Sydney headquarters in 2012.

The multi-asset prime broker, which serves institutional clients around the world, has been steadily gaining industry accolades for an innovative, technology-focused approach to prime services.

Today, the firm's growth enters a new phase with the launch of a subsidiary company based in the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong.

The new firm, Invast Global (Hong Kong) Ltd, will concentrate on Asia-focused institutional clients using a comprehensive array of Securities and Futures Commission licence types to provide an alternative to the traditional bank-based prime services offerings. Invast Global has deployed a core team of 6 people with a strong understanding of the local landscape. The expansion will also channel future strategic partnerships in the region.

Marcus Fung, a senior executive with Invast since 2013, has been appointed to lead the Hong Kong business.

Born in Guangzhou, but raised and educated in Hong Kong, Mr Fung is a multi-lingual technology specialist with a bachelor's degree in physics from Japan's highly respected Tokyo Institute of Technology as well as a prestigious Japanese Government scholarship to the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

He is a dynamic advocate for the use of cutting-edge technological innovations, demonstrated by his commitment to supporting his global hedge fund and broker clients with unique analytical services and powerful data science techniques. 

"Our service is about providing efficient, cost-effective connectivity to liquidity and execution venues, combined with data and analysis -- and communicating our findings to the client in the quickest, most concise, practical and least expensive way," said Invast Global (Hong Kong) CEO Marcus Fung.

"Finding the best and most appropriate liquidity, designing the best execution techniques, providing the most efficient, most bespoke and responsive ancillary services -- without proper analysis and advice on these factors, our clients risk slipping behind. This is a real threat to small, medium and emerging firms, and it is one we are focused on solving for our clients," said Mr Fung.

About Invast Global

Invast Global is a specialist multi-asset prime broker based in Sydney and Hong Kong. The company specialises in providing prime services to small/mid-sized hedge funds, asset managers, proprietary trading firms, other brokerages and banks.

The milestones have been accumulating fast for the entrepreneurial firm, with its institutional client base growing strongly worldwide and a particularly strong penetration into the hedge fund space. Multi-asset turnover for the firm now exceeds well over AU$100bn monthly.

The company has received numerous highly-respected industry awards, often beating larger, globally renowned investment banks.

The JASDAQ-listed Japanese parent company -- Invast Securities Co. has a 60-year history as a Forex and Securities brokerage and enjoys stable, long-standing relationships with numerous tier-one bank prime brokers.

Website: www.invast.com.au