Standard Life opens SICAV funds to Spanish investors

Standard Life Investments, the global fund manager, announced that it has received public distribution status from the CNMV in Spain for 10 funds from its Luxembourg-domiciled SICAV fund range.

This development gives Spanish investors access to a wide range of Standard Life Investments' funds across varying risk profiles, from European investment grade Corporate Bond to high alpha European Smaller Companies and Unconstrained Equity funds. Standard Life Investments will also bring expertise in Euro and Global Inflation-Linked Bond funds to the Spanish market at a time when inflation volatility is of increasing concern.

William Pawson, Regional Head of Southern Europe, Standard Life Investments, said: "Standard Life Investments is a well-established fund manager with a strong risk management culture and nearly £150bn in assets under management. We're serious about expanding the Iberian region and I believe our entry into the market comes at an opportune time for investors. Both institutional and retail investors in Spain will also now have a tax efficient and transparent means of accessing our fixed income, equity and real estate offerings.

"Given where we are in the investment cycle, our European Corporate Bond Fund and Global Inflation-Linked Fund should be of particular interest. With credit spreads at current levels, corporate bonds remain attractive both in income and value terms. In addition, as the economic recovery gathers pace, many investors are anxious about the future path of inflation. Now may be a good time for investors to protect their portfolios against inflation.

"Although we've chosen to register only 10 out of the 18 sub-funds in our SICAV range, I believe this focused approach should ensure that we introduce only those funds we feel are suitable for the Spanish market. This move complements our overall strategy of increasing European wholesale activities, a channel where we have been increasingly successful in areas such as Germany, Benelux and the Nordic regions." Standard Life Investments' SICAV offering provides investors with access to a number of sub-fundsacross a diverse range of geographies and sectors in both equities and bonds (see notes to editors). The funds have public distribution status in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong,Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and now Spain.