Nobody ever suggested AIFMD compliance would be easy. Indeed, by regulating alternative fund managers rather than the funds themselves, the EU’s AIFMD has taken a radical new approach to investor protection which, in turn, has created new complexities, costs and considerations for those operating in this sector.

But this is not just an issue for EU managers alone. The challenge is a global one: any alternative fund manager, in any country that markets their funds to EU investors must d to fall in line with AIFMD although full compliance is not immediately required. It depends on the marketing strategy, and the Private Placement Regimes of countries you are marketing to and the domicile of the alternative investment fund manager (AIFM) and the alternative investment fund (AIF). This creates a host of organizational requirements for managers to grapple with and business complexities for organizations to overcome.