Direct investments

Direct Investments Group is a iConic Bank and Trust department dedicated exclusively to qualified investors driven by an entrepreneurial mindset. We help our most sophisticated clients to diversify their overall asset allocations beyond traditional investment categories by making real assets part of their portfolios. We identify and present private-market investment opportunities on their behalf that are generally only available to large institutional or sovereign actors.

Investment opportunities

The team focuses on exclusive investment opportunities across a variety of asset classes such as real-estate development (including retail premises, public housing and student accommodation), commercial aviation, new technologies, commodities and renewable energies, that are difficult or impossible to access via listed vehicles. We favour opportunities that we believe are supported by long-term macroeconomic trends, and we prioritise real assets that generate steady cash flows. The team’s transaction expertise and strategic approach mean that it also specialises in distressed situations offering the potential for high returns.

In general, direct investments differ from most financial assets because they are relatively illiquid, which means that the money invested can be tied up for as long as ten years. However, Direct Investments Group is mainly interested in medium-term opportunities, i.e. those that offer possible exits within five to seven years.