Schroders is announcing that it has taken a strategic minority stake in Forteus, an asset manager focused on blockchain technology and digital assets. Forteus is the asset management arm of the Numeus Group, a diversified digital asset investment firm.

Numeus, led by Nobel Gulati former CEO of Two Sigma Advisers, was founded by an expert team of finance, blockchain and technology professionals who have a shared passion for digital assets alongside many years of experience from global institutions.

Schroders has chosen to invest in a leading-edge specialist in blockchain technology and digital assets in order to support its ongoing education and research in this sector and to develop investment solutions for the benefit of its clients.

Learning from the Numeus research and technology platform will enable Schroders to harness the transformational benefits that blockchain can bring to the asset management industry and develop our tokenisation strategy.

Forteus will offer a range of investment solutions which span customised portfolios of external managers, yield generation, actively managed thematic portfolios and, over the long term, tokenisation. Once available, Schroders will give clients access to Forteus capabilities where appropriate.

Peter Harrison, Group CEO, Schroders commented:

“Blockchain will be a catalyst for fundamental change within asset management, financial services at large, and many other industries more broadly. It not only has the potential to transform the efficiency of existing solutions but will drive the democratisation of private assets; it represents a new frontier of technological and financial innovation.”

Nobel Gulati, Numeus Group CEO commented:

“We are very excited to welcome Schroders as a founding investor in Forteus. Together, we will build upon Numeus’ expertise in digital assets, technology and quantitative research combined with Schroders’ leading brand, vast capabilities in asset management and global distribution. This will enable us to serve investors who up until now have struggled to access robust investment opportunities in this fast-evolving asset class.”

Innovation is part of Schroders DNA and has enabled the business to evolve and grow for more than 200 years. Fintech start-ups are a natural fit at Schroders which runs a well-established programme named Cobalt. This specialises in investing in innovators who are harnessing leading-edge technology.

Gideon Berger, former Co-CIO of Blackstone Alternative Asset Management, is Forteus Chairman (non-executive). The business is based in the heart of the Crypto Valley in Zug, Switzerland and also has an office in New York.

Source: Schroders