Augentius, the international private equity and real estate fund administration firm, has launched a compliance consultancy to support the alternative investments sector, tapping what it sees as demand due to mounting regulatory challenges.

Augentius, the international private equity and real estate fund administration firm, has launched a compliance consultancy to support the alternative investments sector, tapping what it sees as demand due to mounting regulatory challenges.

The new consultancy is called Augentius Compliance and is designed to offer clients a “compliance health check” upon request, a statement from the 12-year-old firm said.

“Keeping on top of the volume and complexity of regulation in the alternatives space is proving a real headache for many firms, and can be a distraction from their core priority of delivering returns to investors. Yet failing to stay up to date and ensuring compliance at all times is simply not an option, especially given the proactive stance of today’s regulators,” Ian Kelly, chief executive of London-headquartered Augentius, said.

Regulations from the US and European Union, for example, have driven demand. The company said it has helped clients deal with the impact of the EU’s Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive and the US FATCA Act, among other measures.

The new Augentius service offers regulatory authorisation and approval services, as well as comprehensive regulatory training for client employees. All services will be provided on a bespoke basis to UK alternatives funds.

The Augentius Compliance team will be led by Arafat Shah, who brings with him 21 years in the industry, eight of which were spent at the UK regulator.