HFA Holdings (HFA)

Shares / Stock Code

HFA

Stock Exchange / Sharemarket

ax

HFA Holdings (HFA) is a specialist funds-management company providing absolute-return fund products to retail, wholesale and institutional investors throughout Australia. Post the merger with Lighthouse, HFA manages over $9B in assets in Australia and overseas. The business comprises four divisions: Research and Investments; Distribution; Operations; and Special Projects. In FY08, the company established two foreign subsidiaries.

Its wholly owned subsidiary, HFA Asset Management Limited, acts as the responsible entity and manager of schemes and other products in Australia. Another wholly owned subsidiary, HFA Lighthouse Holdings Corp, is the parent entity of the United States-based Lighthouse Group (Lighthouse), which, through Lighthouse Investment Partners, LLC, acts as a global absolute return funds manager.

In Australia, HFA provides absolute return products to retail, wholesale and institutional investors via the HFA Asset Management business. The Lighthouse business has an investor base that spans the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia, and includes high-net-worth individuals, family offices, endowments, trusts, investment banks, benefit plans, pension funds, healthcare and insurance companies. As June 30, 2009, HFA had total funds under management of $5.62 billion.

HFA has a competitive edge through the following factors: strong relationships in the retail distribution segment; strong academic and industry experience in senior management; and has a long track record of fund performance. These factors pose high barriers of entry that new entrants will need to consider when trying to penetrate the market.

HFA distributes its products to retail, wholesale and institutional investors throughout Australia, US, Europe and Asia.