Sophisticated investors and pension funds are among those who will have access to new types of investment opportunities following changes made by the FCA.

The FCA has confirmed that it will be taking forward proposals to create a new type of open-ended authorised investment fund which will help support investment in assets like infrastructure and private equity. Investment in these assets has the potential to generate better returns for investors, including those saving for retirement in defined contribution (DC) pension schemes.

The FCA says that currently, some investors are unable, or unwilling, to invest in long-term assets, even though these assets could meet their investment goals.

The new rules create a Long-Term Asset Fund (LTAF) regime, a new FCA regulated fund that is designed specifically to help investment in assets including venture capital, private equity, private debt, real estate and infrastructure.

As investments in this type of fund may take longer to sell, the FCA has put in place rules to ensure there is a consistency between how long it will take to sell assets and how often and quickly an investor will be able to sell out of the fund.

The LTAF is aimed at DC pension schemes which may be interested in investing, in line with their investment horizons and risk appetite. It also offers long-term investment opportunities to sophisticated investors and some high-net-worth individuals.

The FCA will be consulting next year on the potential for widening the distribution of the LTAF to certain retail investors. While this would potentially open a controlled route for retail investors to higher risk assets than some of the other routes currently available such as unauthorised funds, safeguards would also be needed to ensure retail investors understand the risks involved.

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