In a sector that saw fund closures and overall assets under management fall in 2011, SEI increased assets under management in its SEI Islamic Investments Fund Plc, demonstrating resilience and commitment in a difficult market. SEI has benefited from the recent consolidation of funds in the Islamic asset-management industry, attracting investments from investors seeking access to international equities, and also from small asset managers who have sub-advised their funds to SEI.
Launched in 2007, the SEI Islamic Investments Fund Plc is a UCITS investment company fund with four underlying sub-funds: the SEI Islamic US Equity Fund, the SEI Islamic Pacific Basin Equity Fund, the SEI Islamic European Equity Fund, and the SEI Islamic Emerging Markets Equity Fund.
“The Islamic Fund has enjoyed good performance in 2011, and remains committed to providing Islamic investors with the opportunity to take advantage of our programme through SEI’s full range of Shariah equity funds. SEI continues to broaden its distribution channels, and is currently offering small fund houses an alternative to closing their funds, working with SEI,” Jahangir Aka, Head of SEI’s Middle East Office, said.
“Globally the asset management industry is facing a tough time, and this has been more extreme in the smaller Islamic asset-management space, where many funds closed during 2011. We are proud to be one of the few foreign companies represented in the Middle East to have achieved a position of growth during a tough year for attracting new investments.”
SEI (NASDAQ:SEIC) is a leading global provider of investment processing, fund processing, and investment management business outsourcing solutions that help corporations, financial institutions, financial advisors, and ultra-high-net-worth families create and manage wealth. As of December 31, 2011, through its subsidiaries and partnerships in which the company has a significant interest, SEI manages or administers $404 billion in mutual fund and pooled or separately managed assets, including $172 billion in assets under management and $232 billion in client assets under administration.