Funds & Asset Management

Liedekerke’s Fund Team offers legal and regulatory advice to asset managers (AIFMs and UCITS Mancos). The Fund Team advices on the set-up of new fund vehicles in Belgium and offers assistance to distribution of AIFs and UCITS in Belgium.

The Fund Team consists of 4 specialized lawyers. In 2022 the team was promoted as Thought Leader and Global Leader in both Regulatory and FinTech sections of Who’s Who. The team is ranked in all major legal guides, including Chambers Europe, Legal 500 and IFLR.

The Fund Team advises asset managers and fund clients on:

EU regulations, such as the AIFMD Review, the new ELTIF regime, the AML and sanctions/embargos
Belgian fund specific regulations, such as the specific legal regime of the Private Privak/Pricaf privée, the Institutionele Bevek/Sicav Institutionnelle or the GVBR/FIIS.

In addition to the fund regulations, asset managers should anticipate the radical regulatory change in terms of sustainability. ESG and SFDR are completely reshaping the fund landscape. We offer expert insight in ESG and assist our clients closely with the SFDR implementation work .

Our regulatory team also has daily contacts with the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA), be it to register foreign UCITS and AIFs in Belgium or to have marketing approved under the Transversal Circular. This daily interaction ensures our clients can trust that we are fully up to date and can anticipate and negotiate the FSMA position.

Our Offer

Our team advises a variety of Belgian and foreign investment funds (and asset managers), including venture capital and private equity funds, UCITS funds, AIFs and AIFMs, hedge funds, special purpose vehicles (SPV), institutional funds, real estate funds and pension funds.

We are fund counsel to one of Belgium’s most prominent infrastructure funds.

Our clients can rely on a specialised Fund Team which will assist them with:

determining the most appropriate and tax-efficient structure;
all aspects of corporate law, including corporate governance;
all aspects of financial law (registration with the FSMA, marketing, private placements, and impact of the AIFMD Review);
generally all contacts (and negotiations) with the FSMA;
investments and divestments in target companies;
relations with investors
relations with service providers (e.g. custodians);
restructurings and reorganisations.

The team advises on the regulatory aspects of marketing funds in Belgium, the restructuring of existing funds and sub-funds (pursuant to UCITS and AIFMD), investor relations, conflict of interests and the setting up of custodian arrangements.