In a statement, the firm said: “For many years Alpen Partners has been working closely with Canadian clients…investors that know that a globally-diversified investment portfolio means potentially higher returns with lower volatility. They appreciate the ability to hold a portion of their assets in Switzerland at a Swiss private bank managed by Alpen Partners."  “The Canadian stock market has been at the forefront of many new trends and technologies that include among others mining, sports betting, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, gaming and AI. Many of these entrepreneurs are looking for solutions to custody their assets outside of Canada for various reasons, ranging from diversification, asset protection or hedging.”

Alpen Partners is an example of an external asset manager that has come to added prominence in Switzerland in recent years as federal regulator FINMA imposes new rules. There are as many as 2,500 EAMs and trustees in the country, and industry figures expect some consolidation to that figure as new regulation costs kick in.

This news service launched an EAM awards programme more than three years ago to highlight the work of these organisations. (See the latest programme here.) A number of banks, such as , serve EAMs. (See an example here at Lombard Odier.)

The new licence covers Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan.