HSBC and Mount Street Group (“Mount Street”) announce that they have entered into a ten year strategic agreement with Aviva Investors for asset servicing arrangements for its Real Assets business, totalling £50 billion AUM.  The mandate will see HSBC and Mount Street assume all fund administration and debt servicing functions on behalf of Aviva Investors’ Real Assets strategies.

The mandate follows a competitive process through which HSBC and Mount Street were selected due to the depth of their offering, their direct expertise in real assets credit and equity markets, as well as the superior end-to-end service solution that they can provide.

HSBC’s and Mount Street’s platforms enable further automation across a range of Aviva Investors’ administrative workstreams – which proves particularly invaluable in an investment environment that calls for greater transparency and more customised, frequent reporting. Technology-led, investors will have access to sophisticated digital workflow and reporting solutions, connected to a consolidated data layer.

Aviva Investors will also be able to access a broad, efficient and highly automated service across the spectrum of their illiquid alternatives strategies, including real estate, infrastructure and structured debt. 

Tony McDonnell, Global Head of Alternative Investments, Markets & Securities Services, HSBC, said: “At HSBC, we share Aviva Investors’ vision for the role technology can play in transforming how firms operate and use data in the Real Assets market, and are thrilled to be selected as a core service provider to Aviva Investors in this segment.”

Paul Lloyd, CEO at Mount Street, said: “Over the past number of years, the administrative burden on asset managers has significantly increased, driven by growing investor appetite for more frequent and detailed access to underlying data. Our technology eases that burden, making the job of fund administration, information management and loan servicing much more efficient, thereby allowing managers to focus on the job of investment performance.”  

Melanie Collett, Managing Director, Asset Management, Real Assets at Aviva Investors, added: “We are very pleased to be entering into this new partnership.  Having a market-leading proposition is key to delivering our significant growth trajectory for our Real Assets business. By investing in our technology, data and operating model, embedding our key operational requirements with expert service, we can ensure our investment expertise focusses on value-add and performance. This will position our Real Assets business to offer a simple, scalable and efficient model and provide an exceptional service to our clients.”