Not Your Typical Asset Manager

Segregated Portfolios ensure safety of Assets

History & Corporate Profile

Core Values

Investment Approach

Advantages

Notices

Founded in 1993 in partnership with N.M. Rothschild, Five Continents Financial Limited has been based in the Cayman Islands since then.

A majority interest in the company was acquired by a subsidiary of The Bank of Nova Scotia in 2009. The Scotia interest was purchased by the co-founders in a management buy-out in 2013 and has remained independent since.

 

Five Continents is a professional services firm that specializes in providing discretionary asset management services and related corporate, advisory and director services. We are not brokers, we don’t get paid trading or trailing commissions, we use our considerable expertise to protect and grow client portfolios for a fee based on the market value of the portfolio, aligning our interest with those of the client. Our advice is unbiased, not clouded with the conflicts inherent in large banks or brokers.

We provide investment advice and related corporate services to clients with portfolio assets in excess of $2.0B through a variety of engagements ranging from family office investment committee appointments to fully discretionary asset management mandates. We are strongly focused upon providing customized value-added financial services for private clients, trusts, corporations, insurance companies and pension plans.

Five Continents Financial Limited is regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (“CIMA”) under the following laws and licenses:

  1. The Companies Management Law;
  2. The Mutual Fund Law; and
  3. The Securities Investment Business Law.

History & Corporate Profile

Core Values

Investment Approach

Advantages

Notices

Putting our client first

We take time to understand and determine our client needs while clearly communicating with each client. We provide timely access for clients and their professional advisors directly to our decision makers. We have no conflicts created by compensation methods or corporate finance/underwriting.

 

Value

We are driven by finding value for our clients in their portfolios and related financial services. We prefer investments that produce absolute returns. We are experienced professionals and look to add-value to our clients beyond their portfolios.

 

Risk Management

We understand risk. We take risk only when the rewards justify the level of risk taken and fall within the client mandated tolerances. Client portfolios are high quality and well diversified. Our clients win by not losing.

 

Long Term Relationships

Our senior staff are principals in the business ensuring continuity. Our goal is to build long term mutually beneficial relationships.

History & Corporate Profile

Core Values

Investment Approach

Advantages

Notices

  1. Develop an investment strategy and guidelines with client that defines parameters of investments and factors that guide the management of the portfolio
  2. Construct a customized portfolio of global securities
  3. Actively monitor and manage the portfolio within the established mandate
  4. Meet with client on a regular basis to review investment strategy and portfolio

 

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History & Corporate Profile

Core Values

Investment Approach

Advantages

Notices

  1. Experience: We are the largest Cayman based discretionary asset manager. We have been managing institutional and private client assets for over 20 years. We understand the importance of preserving capital. Our clients win, by not losing
  2. Independence: No trading fees, trailing commissions or pushed products to sell like other large financial institution. Our overhead is relatively low and we seek best price execution through our broker dealer networks. All of this reduces the clients cost and enhances portfolio returns.
  3. Secure Assets: Investment assets are held in segregated accounts with investment grade rated custodians. We do not use prime brokerage accounts, lend or leverage our clients securities
  4. Professional & Accredited Staff who act as Fiduciaries: Three CFA Charterholders on the FCFL Investment Committee, holding investment decisions to the highest ethical standards. Every investment decision is made based for the best interest of the client.

History & Corporate Profile

Core Values

Investment Approach

Advantages

Notices

Privacy Notice September 2019 (Updated)

Five Continents Financial Limited is incorporated in The Cayman Islands and its registered office is 4th Floor, 64 Shedden Road, Grand Cayman and is authorised and regulated under the Securities Investment Business Law in the Cayman Islands by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority.

.References to “FCFL”, “we”, “us” and “our” are references to Five Continents Financial Limited.

About this privacy notice

We are a data controller in respect of your personal data for the purposes of data protection law, such as the Data Protection Law, 2017 Cayman Islands and European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. We are responsible for ensuring that we use your personal data in compliance with data protection law.

This privacy notice applies to you if (i) you are a client or prospective client of FCFL or a service provider to us, (ii) your personal data has been provided to us in connection with any of the foregoing by another person (such as where you are a director, partner, trustee, employee, agent or direct or indirect owner of such person); or (iii) you otherwise enter into communications with us by email or other means.

This privacy notice sets out the basis on which personal data about you that you provide to us, that we create about you or that we obtain about you from other sources, will be processed by us. Please take the time to read and understand this privacy notice.

Personal data that we might use

We might process the following personal data about you:

(a) This might include your name and address (including proofs of name and address), contact details, date of birth, gender, nationality, photograph, signature, copies of identity documents, occupational history, job title, income, assets, other financial information, bank details, investment history, tax residency and tax identification information. Such information might be provided in an application form or in other documents (as part of an application process or at other times), face-to-face, by telephone, by email or otherwise.

(b) Information that FCFL collects or generates: This might include information relating to your account or company, emails (and related data) and website usage data.

(c) Information that FCFL obtains from other sources: This might include information obtained for the purpose of our know-your-client procedures (which include anti-money laundering procedures, counter-terrorist financing procedures, politically-exposed-person checks, sanctions checks, among other things), information from government or public bodies, public websites and other public sources and information received from the applicant’s advisers or from intermediaries.

Uses of your personal data

We collect your personal information to fulfil our contractual obligations, our statutory and regulatory obligations and/or the legitimate business interests of FCFL and for other purposes for which we have a lawful basis under the privacy laws, including:

(a) Compliance with legal and regulatory obligations and industry standards, including know-your-client procedures, the automatic exchange of tax information and legal judgments.

(b) General business administration, including communicating with clients, communicating with service providers and counterparties, accountancy and audit services, risk monitoring, the administration of IT systems and monitoring and improving products.

(c) Assessing and processing applications for interests in opening an account with FCFL including performing know-your-client procedures, making and receiving payments to/from the applicant, calculating portfolio valuations, and overseeing these processes.

(d) Business activities, such as client relations, discussions with our service providers and counterparties, decision-making in relation to the account, and business strategy, development and marketing.

We are entitled to process your personal data in these ways for the following reasons:

(a) You may enter into a business relationship with FCFL and some processing will be necessary for the performance of that contract, or will be done at your request prior to entering into that contract.

(b) Processing may be necessary to discharge a relevant legal or regulatory obligation.

(c) The processing is necessary for the legitimate business interests of FCFL by another person, such as:

(i) ensuring compliance with all legal and regulatory obligations and industry standards, and preventing fraud;

(ii) establishing, exercising or defending legal rights or for other purposes relating to legal proceedings; and

(iii) ensuring the security of information systems.

(d) In respect of any processing of sensitive personal data falling within special categories, such as any personal data relating to the political opinions of a politically exposed person, the processing will be necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.

Disclosure of your personal data to third parties

We may from time to time, in accordance with the purposes described above, disclose your personal data to other parties, including (a) professional advisers such as law firms, and accountancy firms, (b) other service providers FCFL including technology service providers, (e) counterparties and (f) courts and regulatory, tax and governmental authorities. Some of these persons will process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and others will themselves be responsible for their use of your personal data. These persons may be permitted to further disclose the personal data to other parties.

Transfers of your personal data outside the Cayman Islands

Your personal data may be transferred to and stored by persons outside the Cayman Islands in particular may be transferred to and stored by service providers to ensure our business continuity in the event of natural disaster. Where personal data is transferred outside the Cayman Islands we will ensure that the transfer is subject to appropriate safeguards or is otherwise permitted under applicable law.

Necessity of personal data for us to provide services to you

The provision of certain personal data is necessary for us to provide services to you to meet with certain legal and regulatory obligations. Accordingly, if certain personal data is not provided when requested, we may not be able to provide services to you and/or a request for our services might not be accepted or accounts might be frozen or compulsorily liquidated.

Retention of personal data

How long we hold your personal data for will vary. The retention period will be determined by various criteria, including the purposes for which we are using it (as it will need to be kept for as long as is necessary for any of those purposes) and legal obligations (as laws or regulations may set a minimum period for which we have to keep your personal data).

Your rights

You have a number of legal rights in relation to the personal data that we hold about you. These rights include the following:

(a) The right to obtain information regarding the processing of your personal data and to access to the personal data that we hold about you.

(b) In some circumstances, the right to receive some personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and the right to request that we transmit that data to a third party where this is technically feasible. Please note that this right only applies to personal data which you have provided to us.

(c) The right to request that we rectify your personal data if it is inaccurate or incomplete.

(d) The right to request that we erase your personal data in certain circumstances. Please note that there may be circumstances where you ask us to erase your personal data but we are legally entitled to retain it.

(e) The right to object to, and the right to request that we restrict, our processing of your personal data in certain circumstances. Again, there may be circumstances where you object to, or ask us to restrict, its processing of your personal data but we are legally entitled to continue processing your personal data or to refuse that request.

(f) The right to lodge a complaint with the Cayman Islands Ombudsman’s Office if you think that any of your rights have been infringed by us.

You can exercise your rights by contacting us using the details set out under “Contacting us” below. You can find out more information about your rights by contacting The Cayman Ombudsman’s Office.

Contacting us

If you would like further information on the collection, use, disclosure, transfer or processing of your personal data or the exercise of any of the rights listed above, please address questions and requests to Katherine Tathum of Five Continents Financial Limited at (345) 949 3022.

High-Net Worth & Trust Clients

Family Offices

Five Continents customizes investment portfolios for Private Clients on a segregated basis to meet their specific needs and requirements. It is our goal to build portfolios that provide above average long term performance while preserving capital and reducing risk.

Private Clients benefit from this exclusive service offering in a number of ways:

  1. Unique Portfolios – Each portfolio is tailored to the individual client needs and designed to meet specific objectives, such as higher yield, capital preservation and long-term growth, offering greater asset allocation flexibility.
  2. Lower Fees – No trading fees, trailing commissions or pushed products to sell like other large financial institution. Our overhead is low and we seek best price execution through our broker dealer networks. All of this reduces the clients cost and enhances portfolio returns.
  3. Greater control of tax considerations – We will seek to reduce the impact of withholding taxes on dividends by holding securities domiciled in Ireland or by rotating to equivalent alternative securities before the relevant ex-dividend days.
  4. Segregated Assets – individual client portfolio are held in segregated accounts with investment grade rated custodians. We do not use prime brokerage accounts, lend or leverage our client’s securities
  5. Access to Investment Management Team – A key element of our service is direct access to the investment manager responsible for your portfolio

High-Net Worth & Trust Clients

Family Offices

All families are different and this makes every investment mandate unique. Our investment management services are designed to meet individual family needs. The core of our investment service is discretionary portfolio management in the form of direct equity and bond investment and we among the largest private discretionary managers in the Caribbean.

In addition to discretionary asset management, we act on investment committee boards and provide advisory services for family offices with assets in excessive of US$1.5 Billion and maintain a deep understanding of the complexities of multi-generational family wealth.

We appreciate that there are different approaches to investment, but in the broadest sense we are conservative investors and are conscious that real capital preservation is a concern for most families.

A key element of our service is direct access to the investment manager responsible for your portfolio

Captive Insurance

Liquidation Assets

Pension Plans

Treasury Management

The Cayman Islands is the second largest domicile for captives and holds the number one position worldwide for healthcare captives. Five Continents has been managing captive assets for over 20 years, with approximately US$250MM institutional assets under management. We have worked with a wide range of captives, both small and large to preserve capital and grow sustainable equity over the long-term.

Captive Insurance Companies benefit from this exclusive service offering in a number of ways:

  1. Deep understanding of Captives – Having managed captive assets for over 20 years, we have gained a deep understanding of the various captive structures and life cycles. We look to add value by understanding the complete business model, which allows us manage liquidity and risk to the optimal level.
  2. Strong relationship with Service Providers – We work closely with the major captive managers, custodians and banks to ensure no disruption to the day-to-day business and long-term goals are aligned with strategic asset allocation.
  3. Competitive Fee Structure – No trading fees, trailing commissions or pushed products to sell like other large financial institution. All of this reduces the clients cost and enhances portfolio returns.
  4. Secure Assets – Investment assets are held in segregated accounts with investment grade rated custodians. We do not use prime brokerage accounts, lend or leverage our client’s securities
  5. Professional & Accredited Staff who act as Fiduciaries – Three CFA Charterholders on the Five Continents Investment Committee, holding investment decisions to the highest ethical standards. Every investment decision is made based for the best interest of the client.

Captive Insurance

Liquidation Assets

Pension Plans

Treasury Management

Five Continents approach to treasury mandates is a superior approach to managing risk versus keeping money on deposit with a bank, noting many Cayman Islands bank subsidiaries are unrated. Even large rated banks are not immune to failure as demonstrated in the 2008/09 financial crisis.

We believe diversification across highly rated bonds is crucial to ensure shareholders, creditors and liquidators’ interests are protected. This provides strong diversification across government, corporate and bank bonds, which are held in a segregated custody account with a highly rated institutions. In addition to reducing risk via diversification & strong ratings, the bonds provide great liquidity and a reasonable risk adjusted returns.

Captive Insurance

Liquidation Assets

Pension Plans

Treasury Management

Five Continents has been managing pension fund assets for over 10 years. We have experienced professionals dedicated to advising corporate pension plans and delivering solutions focused on strategic asset allocation, risk management and the changing economic and regulatory landscape. Our innovative, comprehensive approach includes:

  1. Asset allocation strategies
  2. Advisory services
  3. Investment and cash management

 

Captive Insurance

Liquidation Assets

Pension Plans

Treasury Management

Five Continents specializes in providing treasury management solutions for a wide variety of clientele. By taking a proactive approach to short-term cash management, treasurers and CFO can help to preserve their company’s capital. Short-term money market securities provide great diversification and reduces credit risk significantly, noting most Cayman banks are subsidiaries and are not rated or guaranteed by the parent.

The priority of these mandates are to preserve capital, ensure liquidity, and provide a risk adjusted return that is far superior to placing money on deposit with one specific unrated bank. These mandates are tailored to meet each client’s specific needs and requirements.

Scott Elphinstone, MBA, CPA, CA, CFA​
Director, Chairman of Investment Committee
tel 345-949-3022 , Fax 345-949-3177
scott.elphinstone@fivecontinents.ky


A founding partner of the company in 1994, Scott’s previous investment experience includes director level positions at Royal Trust in Barbados and Toronto. He is a member of the Cayman Islands Society of Professional Accountants, CPA Institute (Canada) and the CFA Institute. Scott is a graduate of the University of Toronto and York University and is a former Audit Senior at Deloitte. Scott has over 20 years of active global portfolio management experience.

William Messer, BA, LL.B, TEP
Managing Director
tel 345-949-3022 , Fax 345-949-3177
bill.messer@fivecontinents.ky


As a founding partner in the company in 1993, Bill’s previous experience includes the position of Managing Director at Royal Trust in the Cayman Islands. He is a Member of the Law Society of Alberta, the Canadian and International Bar Associations as well as the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Bill received his undergraduate degree in Political Science and Economics at the University of Saskatchewan and his law degree from the University of Wales (UK). He was an Associate at the international law firm of MacLeod Dixon based in Calgary and has over 20 years of international business development and financial services management experience.

Tom Simpson, B.A.Sc., M.B.A
Chairman (non-executive) of Five Continents Board of Directors
tel 345-949-3022 , Fax 345-949-3177
tom.simpson@fivecontinents.ky


Tom has been an independent director for over 30 years. After completing a successful executive career on Bay Street in 2000, Tom pursued corporate director positions in Canadian public, private and non-for-profit sectors. In 2006, he completed the Directors Education Programme at the Rotman School and obtained his ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Tom received industrial engineering and MBA degrees at the University of Toronto. His career began on Bay Street as an investment banker, working with Scotia McLeod for six years, gaining securities industry and equity and debt raising experience, M&A work structured products and financial advice across a wide scope of industries. Tom's international experience includes 14+ years on the Five Continents Board of Directors for 14+ playing a key role in negotiating the transactions between Five Continents and Scotia Bank.

Katherine Tathum, BA, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
tel 345-949-3022 , Fax 345-949-3177
katherine.tathum@fivecontinents.ky


Katherine has worked with Five Continents since its inception, and has experience in the financial industry for the past 15 years. She manages the operations of the company and is involved in asset management. Katherine has a BA in Economics from York University, in Toronto and an MBA from the International College of the Cayman Islands.

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Contact Us

Five Continents Financial Ltd.

4th Floor Anderson Square, 64 Shedden Road,
P.O. Box 10324, Grand Cayman, KY1-1003,
CAYMAN ISLANDS
T: 345-949-3022
katherine.tathum@fivecontinents.ky

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