The Tribune

Brian Jones has been chosen for the Bahamas Financial Services Board’s (BFSB) Financial Services Development and Promotion Award 2012 for developing the Qualified Investor Fund - the Smart Fund Model 007 (SFM007).

This investor-centric fund model is designed to better accommodate professional asset managers, institutional investors and high net worth individuals. It is licensed as a compliant and transparent investment fund by the Securities Commission.

SFM007 has been described by industry practitioners “as a brilliant and innovative financial product/tool designed for sophisticated investors”.

The SFMs are the fastest growing category of funds, and the number of active SMART funds has more than doubled in the past five years, surging from 147 at December 31, 2007, to 320 today.

This rapid growth is seen as a direct result of the many benefits derived from investing via SMART Funds, such as streamlined reporting, flexibility, operational efficiency, risk management efficiency, transferability and transparency, with low costs.

The award will be presented at the 2012 FSI Excellence Awards Banquet this Friday at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort. BFSB’s chief executive, Aliya Allen, said: “The rising demand for alternative investments is driving the creation of more user-friendly, turn-key investment fund solutions for complex money management.

“The Bahamas has earned its reputation for ingenuity in the private investment funds space with the introduction of the SMART Funds regime, which is made up of distinct, risk-adjusted, fund templates designed to facilitate investment fund business within or from the Bahamas. This latest model is a welcome addition and BFSB is pleased to recognise Brian for his initiative in bringing this to market.”

Mr. Jones is associate director, product specialist - private label funds, at UBS (Bahamas). He provides business development support for new funds business, including the new SMART fund model.

Prior to joining UBS in 2011, Mr Jones served as assistant vice-president, The Winterbotham Trust Company, for some eight years, managing Managed Winterbotham Fund Services (over 170 funds with assets in excess of $20 billion).

He currently serves as president of the recently-launched Bahamas Investments and Securities Business Association (BISBA). He is a member of the Funds Working Group of the Bahamas Financial Services Board, as well as the Investment Funds Act Technical Team (IFATT) of the Securities Commission.