EUROPE - Paris-based asset manager TOBAM is seeking to expand coverage of new markets and hopes to launch a new fund in the coming months.
TOBAM, which has just set up a new Canadian fund, is looking to raise an emerging market facility before the end of this year.
Yves Choueifaty, president of TOBAM, told IPE: "Our strategy for this fund remains exactly the same as for the previous ones. We will use our 'anti-benchmark' model to create a portfolio that aims for maximum diversification."
The asset manager's priority is to avoid any concentration in terms of risk.
TOBAM is looking to expand its geographical coverage and keen to develop its partnerships with local players.
Choueifaty said: "We are currently in talks with several pension funds in Canada to expand the Canadian anti-benchmark fund we have just launched and hope to reach an agreement soon.
"We are also keen to sign several deals for our other funds in the future."
Earlier this week, the company announced it has secured an investment of as much as €25m for its World Equity Fund from the Dutch pension fund Alcatel-Lucent Pensioenfonds.
This agreement comes just after another major deal. At the end of last month, the company was selected by CalPERS to participate in the Manager Development Program II (MDP II).
Under the MDP II, TOBAM now manages a $150m (€101m) global equity mandate for CalPERS.
In addition, a joint venture between CalPERS and Strategic acquired a minority equity stake (17.5%) in TOBAM's parent company. The company remains 82.5% owned by employees.
The diversification of risk and the anti-benchmark strategy adopted by TOBAM were cited as the main reasons for pension funds to invest in the company's funds.
TOBAM currently has around $2bn of asset under management. A large part of this amount, $600m is being managed on behalf of Dutch investors, making the Netherlands a key market for the asset manager.
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