Stockholm (HedgeNordic) – Swedish fund manager Indecap has announced the acquisition of fund boutique PriorNilsson Fonder, marking the beginning of a strategic collaboration set to create one of Sweden’s largest independent fund players. Following the completion of the deal, pending approval from relevant authorities, PriorNilsson and Indecap will continue operating and managing their funds under their own brands and investment strategies.
“PriorNilsson is an extremely well-managed company with many years of successful fund management,” comments Mats Lagerqvist, CEO of Indecap. “The deep knowledge and experience of PriorNilsson’s managers are impressive and we look forward to developing and strengthening the company,” he continues. “Together, we become a stronger player and an important part of the Swedish fund market.” Indecap is owned by Sparbankerna, which includes 34 of Sweden’s savings banks.
“Together, we become a stronger player and an important part of the Swedish fund market.”
Mats Lagerqvist, CEO of Indecap
“As a savings bank, we are long-term and have a hundred-year perspective on our strategic investments, says Håkan Nordblad, chairman of the board of Indecap and Westra Wermlands Sparbank. “The opportunity to attract and retain talented employees and strengthen distribution is facilitated by being part of a larger organization with more resources.” The deal is set to create one of Sweden’s largest independent fund players with combined assets under management of approximately SEK 55 billion and over 100,000 customers.
“The opportunity to attract and retain talented employees and strengthen distribution is facilitated by being part of a larger organization with more resources.”
Håkan Nordblad, chairman of the board of Indecap and Westra Wermlands Sparbank.
PriorNilsson Fonder, a stock-picking fund boutique established by PO Nilsson and Torgny Prior in 2002, was honored with the title of “Fund Company of the Year” at this year’s “Årets Fond” awards presented by Swedish business magazine Privata Affärer. Its low-risk market-neutral fund, PriorNilsson Yield, received the “Årets Fond” award in the “Alternative Investments” category, while the long-only PriorNilsson Sverige Aktiv was named “Swedish Fund of the Year.”
PriorNilsson’s inaugural fund, PriorNilsson Yield, was launched in late 2002. Over the years, the boutique has evolved from a two-person asset manager into a stock-picking boutique with a broader team and an expanded fund range. Four years after the launch of its first product, PriorNilsson Fonder launched a higher-risk, higher-reward long/short equity fund – PriorNilsson Idea. PriorNilsson Yield and Idea represent just two of the nine funds in PriorNilsson’s product range, which oversees SEK 13 billion in assets under management.
“We will continue to work on developing PriorNilsson with good products and be able to reach out to more customers.”
PO Nilsson and Torgny Prior, the founders of PriorNilsson
“We look forward to taking the company forward under strong owners like Sparbankerna,” comment PO Nilsson and Torgny Prior (pictured), the founders of PriorNilsson. “We see this as a fantastic opportunity for the company and it will be extremely exciting,” they continue. “We will continue to work on developing PriorNilsson with good products and be able to reach out to more customers.”
