Architas: Best Multi-Manager Investment Solutions Global 2023

Architas was founded in 2008 with £3.5bn in AUM and just 10 employees. It now forms an integral part of the AXA group, a French multinational with a presence in 51 countries and 93 million clients worldwide. As a multi-manager investment specialist, Architas helps clients across Europe and Asia to build targeted portfolios with access to lots of other single-focus underlying funds run by specialist fund managers. In other words, a fully diversified single investment solution. It also offers discretionary portfolio management for AXA entities and high-net-worth individuals. Architas partners with best-in-class fund managers across asset classes and geographies, then levers AXA’s expansive network to distribute investments at the global level. As of September 2023, Architas was overseeing €29.5bn of clients’ capital. Architas has proven resilient and stable over the past 12 months — despite recent periods of market instability and de-globalised trade. It credits the success to competent money management and a focus on sustainability. The asset manager prioritises responsible investing strategies and leads by example in terms of corporate social responsibility. It has developed a three-pillar CSR plan centred around the environment, diversity and inclusion and employee engagement. Architas aims to achieve a 25 percent reduction in its carbon footprint by 2025. Last year, Architas introduced its first SFDR Article 9 fund in the new E.P.I.C range to provide clients with more ethical and prosperous investment opportunities. The CFI.co judging panel presents Architas — a repeat programme winner — with the 2023 global award for Best Multi-Manager Investment Solutions.