Financial Services: Acquisition of GFA by Sovereign Capital-backed ACOLIN

Armstrong has provided CDD support to Sovereign Capital Partners portfolio company ACOLIN (www.acolin.com), a leading provider of regulatory and cross-border fund distribution services, which has acquired GFA, a SaaS-based data collection and analytics provider for asset managers and distributors.

Founded in 2014 and based in Luxembourg, GFA (www.gfa.lu) offers a modular, technology-enabled proposition to help asset managers and distributors manage their increasing regulatory compliance obligations, get insights into their distribution networks, and further improve business performance. GFA’s fully customisable oversight and analytical tools will be integrated into ACOLIN’s existing service offering to its asset management clients, deepening their relationships with distribution partners.

Armstrong conducted in-depth interviews with GFA’s clients to validate Sovereign’s key investment hypotheses, to understand the value that GFA adds for its clients, and to confirm synergies with the wider ACOLIN group. Alex Hay, Partner at Sovereign, said “Armstrong’s thorough customer referencing and analysis of the strategic fit between GFA and ACOLIN were critical in building confidence in our investment case and value creation plan.”

Simon Hemsley, Head of Financial Services at Armstrong said: “GFA offers a unique blend of technology and services to solve complex problems for fund managers, and fits in well with Sovereign’s buy and build plan for ACOLIN. We were delighted to support this strategic acquisition.”

For more information on this and other deals in the financial services sector, please contact:

Simon Hemsley, Partner

+44 07957 340534
[email protected]

Email Simon