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Funds
Investing through funds, with the platform or manager that accepts your profile.
- Company or personal accounts
- Onboarding prepared with you
- Providers that accept your profile
- Important information
What it is
Funds pool money from several investors and are managed by a fund manager. You invest through a platform, a broker or the fund itself, each with its own onboarding.
Who the account is for
Company account
A company can invest in funds in its own name. The provider reviews the company, its owners and the purpose of the investment.
The company's documents and its owners' details are part of the application.
Discuss a company accountPersonal account
An individual can invest in their own name. The provider reviews your identity, residence and source of funds.
Your identity, residence and source of funds are part of the application.
Discuss a personal accountHow opening works
- 1ConsultationWe discuss what you want to hold, in whose name, and where you are resident.
- 2OnboardingThe provider's application, completed with the details it asks for.
- 3Identity checksThe provider verifies the account holder and, for a company, its owners and directors.
- 4Source of fundsDocuments that show where the money you invest comes from.
Account types and fund structures
Each opens with how the account or structure works, who it suits, what the onboarding asks for and the investor protection that applies, with its sources.
- Fund platform accountOne account for funds from many managers.Details
- Direct subscriptionInvesting in a fund through its own administrator.Details
- UCITS fundThe EU's passported retail fund, for strategies sold to the public.Details
- Alternative investment fund (EU)The EU's professional-investor fund, run by an authorised manager.Details
- Cayman Islands fundThe global hedge-fund and private-fund domicile, registered with CIMA.Details
- BVI fundThe emerging manager's ladder: incubator, approved, private and professional funds.Details
- Seychelles fundA low-cost offshore fund with published fees, beside the Seychelles dealer licence.Details
Fund platform account
One account for funds from many managers.
- Holds
- Units in funds from several managers
- Opened with
- A fund platform or broker
- Suits
- Individuals and companies investing in regulated funds
What it is
A platform account holds units or shares in funds from many managers in one place, with one statement and one set of onboarding checks. Retail funds (UCITS in Europe) are the staple; some platforms also offer professional-investor funds.
What providers ask for
- Identity, address, tax residence and source of funds
- Appropriateness or suitability information, depending on the service
- For a company, its documents and beneficial owners
Investor protection
- United Kingdom: FSCS covers investment claims up to £85,000 per person per firm
- European Union: national investor-compensation schemes cover at least €20,000 per investor
- United States: SIPC covers up to US$500,000 per customer, including US$250,000 in cash
- Compensation covers a failed firm, never a fall in the value of the investments
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
Direct subscription
Investing in a fund through its own administrator.
- Holds
- Units or shares in one fund
- Opened with
- The fund's administrator or manager
- Suits
- Professional and qualified investors
What it is
You subscribe directly to the fund: the administrator checks your eligibility (many alternative funds accept only professional or well-informed investors), performs the anti-money-laundering checks and registers you in the fund's share register. Redemptions follow the fund's dealing terms.
What providers ask for
- The subscription agreement and the investor eligibility declaration
- Identity, address, tax forms and source of wealth
- For a company, its documents, beneficial owners and signatories
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
UCITS fund
The EU's passported retail fund, for strategies sold to the public.
- Structure
- UCITS: EU retail fund with a passport
- Investors
- Retail and professional, across the EU
- Rules
- Diversification, liquidity and eligible-asset limits (Directive 2009/65/EC)
What it is
UCITS are the EU's retail funds: strict rules on eligible assets, diversification and liquidity in exchange for a passport to retail investors in every member state. They are set up in Luxembourg, Ireland and other EU states by a licensed management company, and sold worldwide.
Who sets one up
- Asset managers who want a retail product sold across Europe and beyond
- Groups that need a regulated, daily-dealing vehicle for their strategy
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
Alternative investment fund (EU)
The EU's professional-investor fund, run by an authorised manager.
- Structure
- Alternative investment fund (AIF), including RAIF, AIF and PIF forms
- Investors
- Professional and well-informed investors
- Rules
- The manager is authorised under the AIFMD (Directive 2011/61/EU); the fund may be unregulated
What it is
The EU's professional-investor fund: hedge, private equity, real estate, credit and crypto strategies run by an authorised alternative investment fund manager. Luxembourg's RAIF, Cyprus's AIF and RAIF and Malta's PIF are the usual forms; the manager, not the fund, carries the licence, which is what makes a RAIF fast to launch.
Who sets one up
- Managers raising from professional investors across Europe under the AIFMD passport
- Family offices pooling capital into one regulated vehicle
- Crypto and venture managers who want an EU-regulated wrapper
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
Cayman Islands fund
The global hedge-fund and private-fund domicile, registered with CIMA.
- Structure
- Cayman mutual fund (open-ended) or private fund (closed-ended)
- Investors
- Institutional and sophisticated
- Regulator
- CIMA, under the Mutual Funds Act and the Private Funds Act
What it is
A principal domicile for hedge funds and private funds: open-ended mutual funds register with CIMA under the Mutual Funds Act, closed-ended private equity and venture funds under the Private Funds Act, each with audited accounts, an administrator and CIMA fees. The exempted company, the LLC and the limited partnership are the vehicles.
Who sets one up
- Hedge, crypto and private-equity managers raising from institutions worldwide
- Groups that want a tax-neutral master fund beside onshore feeders
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
BVI fund
The emerging manager's ladder: incubator, approved, private and professional funds.
- Structures
- Incubator fund, approved fund, private and professional funds
- Incubator
- Up to 20 investors and US$20,000,000, for two years, with no licensed functionaries
- Approved
- Up to 20 investors and US$100,000,000, with an administrator
- Regulator
- BVI Financial Services Commission
What it is
The BVI built a ladder for emerging managers: an incubator fund to test a strategy with up to 20 sophisticated investors and US$20,000,000 for two years, an approved fund up to US$100,000,000 with an administrator, then private and professional funds. Beside them, the Approved Manager regime lets the manager operate on an approval rather than a full licence while assets stay under the caps.
Who sets one up
- First-time managers who want a regulated vehicle at low cost
- Crypto and venture managers testing a strategy before scaling
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
Seychelles fund
A low-cost offshore fund with published fees, beside the Seychelles dealer licence.
- Structures
- Private, professional, public and exempt funds
- Fees
- Private fund: US$750 application, US$1,000 a year; professional fund: US$1,000 and US$1,250
- Regulator
- Financial Services Authority, Mutual Fund and Hedge Fund Act 2008
What it is
A low-cost offshore fund domicile with published fees: private funds for up to 50 investors, professional funds for professional investors, public funds for the public and exempt foreign funds. A licensed fund administrator in Seychelles is required.
Who sets one up
- Managers who already use Seychelles for a dealer licence
- Small funds for a defined group of investors
Last reviewed: 2026-11-11
What providers ask for
The exact list depends on the provider. Most ask for:
- Identity documents and proof of address
- Company documents and details of owners, for a company account
- Information on your investment experience and objectives
- Evidence of the source of funds
Frequently asked questions
Still have a question?
Talk to usHow long does it take?
It depends on the jurisdiction, the provider and the documents involved. We give you an estimate for fund accounts after the consultation.
What does it cost?
Costs depend on the jurisdiction and on the services you choose. We set them out for fund accounts after the consultation, before any work starts.
Do I need to travel?
Some steps can be completed remotely and others need you in person. We tell you which applies to your case before you start.
Risk and regulatory notice
This page describes how investment accounts are opened. It is not investment advice, and it is not a recommendation to buy or sell any investment.
Investing involves risk. The value of investments can fall as well as rise, and you may get back less than you invest.
Providers are named only with their permission. The regulatory notice for this service is reviewed by our legal adviser before publication.
Used in these set-ups
What comes next
Each service leads to the next: the structure, then the accounts, then the payments and the licence.
Plan your investment account
Talk to us- IncorporationForming a company or foundation, and keeping it in good standing.Talk to us
- BankingBusiness and personal accounts, and accepting payments.Talk to us
- LicensingFinancial licences for regulated activities.Talk to us
- InvestmentsOpening investment accounts for a company or for yourself.Talk to us