Argon hopes its expansion beyond catering for institutional investors will improve access to financial services for individuals looking to invest in equities, fixed income or a combination of asset classes.
"We have regulatory approval," Argon Asset Management CEO Mothobi Seseli said.
"We are now in the process of finalising our rollout plans in the retail space, as well as growing our institutional book."
Argon had received regulatory approval three weeks ago, Seseli said.
The company marks its 10th anniversary this year, having started in April 2005 with zero assets under management. A decade later it has R27bn of assets under management from institutional investors.
It also has a global investment offering through its partnership with Schroders, a global asset management company.
The Manager Watch Series of Surveys by Alexander Forbes, which calculated performance returns on a three-year period to end February, showed that in the specialist bonds asset class Argon was the second-best performer after Future Growth.
In the period under review, the data showed that the Future Growth Yield Enhanced returned 12.36% compared to 11.15% delivered by the Argon Domestic Core Fund.
The data show the two beat established brands in the specialist bonds category.
The Alexander Forbes SA Equity Manager Watch shows that the Argon Specialist Equity fund was ranked number three in its "not benchmark cognisant" category, in the three years to end February. It ranked third after Foord and Coronation Houseview Equity.
Seseli said that Argon had used its partnership with Schroders to groom upcoming asset managers by sending them abroad to the Schroders graduate scheme.
"The asset management industry is a custodian of the nations savings. If we don't start by building our own timber that allows us to compete at global standards, then we are messed," he said.
Argon is one of about 30 black asset managers in the country. Others include Mazi Capital, Mergence, JM Busha, Vunani, Meago and Kagiso.
Source: Business Day via I-Net Bridge
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