FX Markets Asia Awards 2020: Best FX prime-of-prime – Invast Global

Flexible solutions in a volatile market and providing the overlooked small end of the hedge fund space with liquidity streams has laid the foundation for Invast Global to expand into new ventures

Invast Global has won the best FX prime-of-prime category in this year’s FX Markets Asia Awards. A global leader in this space, with 60 years’ experience as a securities and FX brokerage, Invast Global has proven its consistent, exceptional service, especially in the volatile market and global economy brought about in 2020 by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as by international political factors. 

Invast Global is unique among its non-bank prime broker peers in a number of ways. It is focused on being a truly multi-asset service provider, allowing clients access to the full range of global futures and stock exchanges from a single account and with one collateral deposit. As Gavin White, chief executive officer, explains: “Other key factors are that we are focusing specifically on the small end of the hedge fund space, managers with under $500 million in assets under management. They are currently underserved by tier one bank prime brokers. We offer a flexible, multi-asset prime facility, with no commission or turnover hurdles and no monthly minimums. Such aspects of traditional prime brokerage are often difficult for small or medium-sized managers to cope with. We help solve those issues.”

Also important to Invast Global is its customer service. “We are a full service,” says White, “with a 24-hour client coverage team, a 24-hour outsourced execution team, and a highly automated back-office function with direct connectivity to most administrators and custodians. We can also connect and liaise directly with our hedge fund clients’ own operations team.” 

When working from home was mandated across the globe because of the pandemic, Invast Global was able to continue servicing its clients to the highest standards. Because it is a cloud-based, technology-driven company, it was able to seamlessly shift to remote working, providing team members with secure access to the key resources they needed, and therefore providing clients with their usual standard of service.

Always aiming to be on the cutting edge, Invast Global’s culture is dedicated to service, diligence and innovation. A key part of this culture is recognising that each client is unique and has different needs on FX liquidity, so the firm works side-by-side with them to achieve this. Invast Global is built on a dedication to mutual long-term gain; it wants its clients to be successful, so it ensures it offers solutions to meet their needs. It has solid tier one prime broker relationships with some of the world’s largest banks, providing clients with superior access to liquidity streams from more than 20 banks, non-banks and electronic communication network providers.

Despite global volatility, the past year has seen strong growth for Invast Global. White explains how he sees this continuing into next year. “We’ve become well known for our extensive access to borrow in global equities’ names and will continue to build this out over 2021. We’re also integrating a number of relationships with several market-making entities to deepen the liquidity clients can access over and above what is available in the exchange central limit order books. Our quantitative structuring and pricing team will also be releasing a number of additional ‘cash/spot’ index and commodity products to offer clients a flexible approach to their index and commodity trading strategies.”   

Invast Global notes that clients are increasingly sophisticated in their trading strategies, and in their overall FX industry and market knowledge, so its solution must keep up. The company is perfectly positioned to adapt to changing market demands, using its tailored service approach and customisable liquidity streams to meet client needs. It is this attention to detail and to different client requests that has provided the foundation for Invast Global to expand into new and exciting ventures.

Over the past 12 months, the firm has pushed through with its three-year plan to establish offices in each major financial centre, with offices currently in Tokyo, Sydney and Hong Kong. In 2019, it launched a subsidiary company, Invast Global (Hong Kong), as part of a strategic plan to concentrate on Asia-focused institutional clients utilising Securities and Futures Commission licence types to provide an alternative to traditional bank-based offerings. Next year, Invast Global will open an office in London as well as one in Europe. It also looks forward to expanding its offerings, including an incubation programme for small and emerging managers. 

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