The Firm
Vontobel Asset Management, Inc. (“VAMUS”, “we”, “our”) is a global investment management
firm headquartered in New York City, NY. We have provided global asset management services
to investors since 1984, and we are an SEC- registered investment adviser.
VAMUS is part of Vontobel (defined below), a global financial services group of companies with
Swiss roots. VAMUS and its affiliates are subsidiaries of Vontobel Holding AG (“Vontobel”), a Swiss
holding company in Zurich, Switzerland. We are also a related company to Bank Vontobel AG, one
of Switzerland’s foremost private banks for over 90 years. Vontobel Holding AG shares are listed
on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
Discretionary Advisory Services
We offer fundamental analysis-based discretionary investment management, advisory, and sub-
advisory services to a broad array of institutional and intermediary clients, respectively. We also
provide investment advisory services to separate accounts; certain affiliated open-end investment
companies (“Registered Funds”) and non-affiliated investment companies registered under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”); collective
investment trusts; a series of open-ended variable capital foreign-registered funds managed by
our affiliate Vontobel Asset Management S.A. (“VAMSA”), each a “VAMSA Fund” and collectively
referred to herein as the “VAMSA Funds”); non-U.S. pooled investment vehicles; and other pooled
investment vehicles not required to be registered under the Investment Company Act (“Private
Funds”). The above-mentioned pooled vehicles together are thereafter referred to as
“Commingled Funds”.
We strive to invest all of our clients’ assets in a similar manner within each investment strategy so
as to ensure that all portfolios benefit from the best investment ideas of the firm and to limit the
dispersion of returns among client portfolios. Each investment strategy offered by our firm is
defined by its own portfolio construction and investment guidelines developed by us.
Within the bounds of a given investment strategy or strategies, a client may customize its
investments through the use of investment guidelines, restrictions, and limitations (“guidelines”).
These client-driven guidelines are drafted during the course of contract negotiations and become
an integral part of the final investment management agreement between us and our clients
(“Investment Management Agreement”). We reserve the right to reject investment guidelines
that we determine, in our judgement, to be unduly restrictive in light of strategy and portfolio
objectives.
Non-discretionary Advisory Services
We also provide asset model portfolios to related investment advisers, third party firms
(“sponsors”), and institutional investors on a non- discretionary basis subject to negotiated fees.
Recommendations made on a non-discretionary basis are substantially the same to the advice
provided to our clients on a discretionary basis. It is at the investment advisers’, sponsors or
institutional investors’ sole discretion as to whether or not and to what extent they will implement
the model portfolios, or each recommendation made by us for their respective clients and
accounts. VAMUS does not enter into a direct relationship with clients of affiliated investment
advisers or sponsors. We do not provide administrative, trading, portfolio accounting or account-
specific performance reporting services to the clients of affiliated investment advisors or
sponsors. Trade recommendations and model changes are provided to the third-party
concurrently or approximately at the same time as investment instructions are delivered for our
other discretionary client accounts. This process is administered in accordance with the third-
party’s procedures, and they are solely responsible for adjusting their model program accounts to
conform to model portfolio changes. As such, responsibility for pursuing best execution for their
participating accounts resides
with them. It should be noted that VAMUS also has model portfolio
arrangements which follow a different process from what’s noted herein. For these arrangements,
VAMUS provides the model changes and trade recommendations at the end of the business day
or weekly per our agreement with the client and after we have begun to implement
recommendations for discretionary client accounts. There may be a positive and or negative
performance divergence as a result of such timing differences.
Types of Investments
Our advisory services encompass several types of asset classes across our various strategies
including equity, fixed income, and multi-asset. The types of investments in which we offer
investment advice are limited to: exchange listed securities, privately placed securities, real estate
investment trust (“REITs”), exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), exchange traded notes (“ETNs”),
securities traded over-the-counter, foreign issues, depository receipts, warrants; corporate debt
securities, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, municipal securities, mutual fund shares, U.S.
and non-U.S. sovereign government securities, commodities, listed futures and options contracts.
Other types of investments may include foreign currency (“FX”) instruments, including forwards,
spots and swaps, centrally cleared swaps and other bilateral over-the-counter instruments. We
may also recommend that clients invest in the Private Funds, certain other pooled investment
vehicles, open- or closed-end mutual funds, separate account programs, individual securities or
other assets. See Item 8. Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss, for more
detail on the types of instruments used in implementing our strategies.
Services of Affiliates
We utilize our affiliates to offer certain services to clients; some of these affiliates are investment
advisers registered with non-U.S. regulators; and some are exempt from registration with other
U.S federal and state. We may use the services or personnel of one or more of our affiliates for
investment advice, portfolio execution and trading, and client servicing in their local or regional
markets or their areas of special expertise, except to the extent restricted by a client’s investment
management agreement, or inconsistent with applicable law.
Arrangements among affiliates take a variety of forms, including dual employee, delegation,
participating affiliate, sub-advisory, sub-agency or other formal or informal servicing
arrangements. Certain of those affiliates’ employees are deemed “associated persons” within the
meaning of Section 202(a)(17) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“Advisers Act”), as VAMUS’
affiliates may, through such employees, contribute to our investment advisory and investment
research process. These arrangements comply with applicable law and regulation including, but
not limited to, ERISA and its prohibited transaction exemptions, U.S. federal securities laws and
regulations. Please refer to Item 10. Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations for
information related to the Participating Affiliate Arrangement with select affiliates.
This practice of utilizing affiliates is designed to make Vontobel’s global capabilities available to
our clients in as seamless a manner as practical within a varying global regulatory framework. In
these circumstances, we remain fully responsible for the portfolio from a legal and contractual
perspective. No additional fees are charged for our affiliates’ services except as set forth in a
client’s investment management agreement, or a fund’s governing documents, private placement
memorandum, offering memorandum, and/or similar documents, and as allowed by applicable
law and regulation.
Regulatory Assets Under Management
As of December 31st, 2023, VAMUS had $ 28,023,416,512 total regulatory assets under
management calculated on a gross basis; $27,645,170,923 of which was discretionary and
$378,245,589 non-discretionary.