Advisory Services
Fund structuring & design
The way in which a fund is structured, both legally and for tax purposes, can have a significant impact on the outcome for investors and the Investment Manager. MARQ Trustees is well placed to advise and assist in identifying the best legal, commercial, and tax efficient structure for a proposed investment.
There are multiple factors to be considered, including asset class, investment strategy (capital growth or income yielding), number and type of investors, investor tax residency, different classes of units/interests in the fund, whether the units/interest will be fully or partly paid, whether capital will be committed and called in tranches or paid in full upfront, whether distributions will be paid or reinvested, withdrawal mechanisms and performance fee optimisation. It is worth noting that how a fund is taxed depends on whether it is classed as a managed investment trust, an attribution managed investment trust, a public trading trust, or whether it is under the general taxing provisions of the Tax Act that apply to trusts.
MARQ Trustees has a panel of accountants, tax advisers, and auditors with a formidable depth of knowledge and experience of fund structures across most asset classes. Their knowledge and experience are keys to high quality work and fast turnaround, and their advice is always geared to pragmatic solutions.
Compliance Services
MARQ Trustees can assist Investment Managers to meet all the compliance and reporting obligations of managed investment schemes. Our team has developed a compliance framework and methodology for Investment Managers that is simple to use, and significantly reduces the call on management’s time.
Financial Services Training
MARQ Trustees can offer specialised training to assist Investment Managers to understand the roles, responsibilities, and obligations of being an Authorised Representative. This includes checklists and other collateral to assist Investment Managers to operate within the strict rules that apply to giving general financial product advice to wholesale clients.
Fund Administration Services
MARQ Trustees can undertake the back and middle office functions required for the Fund’s operation. This includes the implementation of proper instructions received from the Investment Manager, trade validation, settlement and support, monthly bookkeeping and accounting services, unit pricing, distribution calculations and processing, liaison with external accountants for the preparation of the fund’s annual financial statements and income tax returns, including lodgement of BAS returns, TFN Reports, Income Tax Returns, etc.
Registry Services
MARQ Trustees can establish the online registry portal for a fund and provide a full suite of registry services. This includes KYC and AML/CTF certifications, FATCA registration, and reporting across the various requirements: FATCA, CRS, QTFN, AMMA & tax statements, AIIR lodgements, and general register maintenance. Our registry services include calculating, processing, and remitting distributions to investors, and deduction and remittance of withholding tax where applicable.
MARQ Trustees can establish a secure, feature-rich, online applications and registry portal, which can be labelled with your Fund’s branding and linked to your Fund’s website for easy access by investors. This portal enables investors to submit their application for investments, and upload associated documents. It enables investors, and their nominated advisers, to view their investments, historical and current data relating to their unit holdings, distributions, tax statements, and other pertinent information. It can also serve as a means of distributing investor newsletters and other communications.
