The independent firm founded by former UBS senior figures continues to develop, forming a deal with a fintech house.

Lioncrest Global, the Hong Kong-based independent wealth management house created last year by former UBS executives, has inked a deal with fintech firm APrivacy, allowing Lioncrest to use the latter firm’s secure communications solutions. The agreement follows a run of developments since Lioncrest’s debut.

The agreement means Lioncrest is the first investment and advisory firm to get access to a service typically reserved for large financial institutions such as banks and insurers, Lioncrest said in a statement yesterday.

APrivacy is headquartered in Waterloo, Canada, with an office in Hong Kong. It aims to mix military-grade data security with an easy-to-use system running on a range of operating systems and devices. As a result, users can communicate securely over channels such as email, Dropbox, WhatsApp and WeChat, thereby reducing costs while satisfying regulatory requirements.

Earlier in March Lioncrest Global and Ops Capital formed an agreement allowing the two firms to work jointly on bringing venture capital and private equity deals to clients. Ops Capital is a boutique corporate consultancy firm that engages in domestic and international transactions for small and medium-sized enterprises. It is based in Singapore with a focus on South East Asia.

The founders and managing partners of Lioncrest are Peter Tung, who had been managing director, head of UHNW Greater China, head of global family office for North Asia at UBS; Valerie Chou, previously MD and head of global family office for Asia-Pacific at UBS, and who has also held senior roles at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management; and John Riddergard, who had been MD, head of APAC CEO office, head of pricing management and head of strategy and business development at UBS in Asia.