
Old Bridge Capital Management, which manages equity portfolios through its portfolio management services (PMS) and alternative investment funds (AIF) arms, is now all set to enter the mutual fund arena as it has received the final regulatory approval.
“Old Bridge Capital Management (OBCM)… has received the final approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to commence its mutual fund operations under Old Bridge Mutual Fund,” stated a release from the fund management company.
Industry veteran and OBCM founder Kenneth Andrade manages the investment process and leads investment ideation of the company.
“We are delighted to receive this licence to commence operations for Old Bridge Mutual Fund and will be launching our maiden actively managed equity scheme. As we move forward with our newly acquired license, we remain committed to providing investors with long term investment solutions on its mutual funds platform as well,” said Andrade.
OBCM was incorporated in December 2015 and is registered with Sebi as a portfolio manager and also as an investment manager and sponsor to a Sebi-registered Category III AIF named ‘Old Bridge Capital AIF’.
The company is also SEC Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) since March 2019.
Interestingly, the fund house will make its entry in the mutual fund space at a time when many new players are entering the fray. In the recent past, well-known names like Zerodha, Bajaj Finserv, Groww, and Helios among others have made their debut.
Further, there is a neat mix of active and passive focus amongst the new players as they aim to create a niche for themselves across investor categories.
Data from Sebi shows that at least three other companies—Unifi Capital, Alpha Alternatives Fund Advisors and Wizemarkets Analytics—are in the queue to get a Sebi licence to launch their mutual fund business.