Lombard Odier And Alpha Japan have expanded access in Japan to Lombard Odier's global asset management solutions and strengthened pan-European distribution of specialist Japanese equity strategies.

Swiss private bank Lombard Odier and Alpha Japan LO am – formerly Alpha Japan Asset Advisors (AJAA), a Tokyo-based specialist in Japanese equities – have announced a collaboration agreement, bringing their asset management and distribution capabilities into closer alignment.

As part of the agreement, Alpha Japan LO am has adopted its new legal name, reflecting the depth of this collaboration, the firm said in a statement. In addition, Vincent Magnenat, limited partner at Lombard Odier, will serve on the board of Alpha Japan LO am as its representative.

Founded in 2007, Alpha Japan LO am manages over SFr1.17 billion ($1.5 billion) in assets across long-only and long/short Japanese equity strategies. Its strategy, a high-conviction, all-cap, long-only portfolio, has received many third-party industry awards. Since 2007, Lombard Odier has been distributing this strategy to its clients in Switzerland and across Europe.

In Japan, Alpha Japan LO am's licences will enable it to expand distribution of Lombard Odier's global asset management solutions to domestic institutional investors and wholesale distributors, in particular, sustainable investment, private assets, and systematic strategies. The collaboration will support Lombard Odier's growth in Japan as demand rises for specialised, globally-diversified investment capabilities.

Lombard Odier will distribute Alpha Japan LO am's Japanese equity strategies in Europe and the UK. Interest in Japan has strengthened among pan-European investors as the country's weight in global equity markets has risen, the firm continued. A neutral allocation now typically represents 5 to 6 per cent of global equity exposure, prompting investors to reassess their long-term positioning and manager selection in Japanese equities.

Japan is also a country generating significant opportunities for private equity investors, according to Preqin, a UK-headquartered financial data provider for alternative assets, acquired by BlackRock in 2025.

"This new chapter strengthens our long-standing commitment to Japan by combining Alpha Japan's deep investment expertise with Lombard Odier's pan-European distribution and global investment capabilities,” Jean-Pascal Porcherot, managing partner at Lombard Odier and co-head of Lombard Odier Investment Managers, said. “Together, we will deepen access for European investors to a best-in-class pure-play Japanese equities capability, while expanding our ability to serve Japanese institutions and distributors with differentiated asset management solutions across sustainable investment, private assets and systematic strategies."

"For nearly two decades, our focus has been to generate value for clients through a local, disciplined, high-conviction approach to Japanese equities,”  Michel Amsellem, founder and chairman at Alpha Japan LO am, added. “Partnering more closely with Lombard Odier is a natural next step: it broadens our reach in Europe through an established distribution network, while enabling us to connect Japanese investors with Lombard Odier's unique investment capabilities.”