NEW ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS UNIT ESTABLISHED WITHIN FIM ASSET MANAGEMENT

FIM Group Corporation Press release Jan 24, 2007 at 12.45

NEW ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS UNIT ESTABLISHED WITHIN FIM ASSET MANAGEMENT

FIM has decided to concentrate its alternative investment know-how in a new unit, Alternative Investments. The unit has been established under FIM Asset Management and it will serve both institutional and private customers. The unit’s products include, among other things, capital protected structured products, as well as hedge and real estate funds. Christer Schoultz, who has been in charge of FIM’s structured product operations, has been appointed as the head of the Alternative Investments unit. Schoultz will report to the Managing Director of FIM Asset Management, Jan Forsbom.

The market for capital protected structured products in Finland grew to a record level of over 2 billion euros in 2006 (40% growth from 2005). FIM’s structured product sales totaled 229 million euros last year, an increase of 79% over 2005. According to the management’s estimate, FIM is the largest structured product provider that does not engage in banking operations and is among the top three providers when banks are included.

In 2006, FIM’s market share in other than interest or equity-linked capital protected structured products was 23%. These products include, among others, structured hedge fund and fund-linked products. FIM’s first hedge fund, FIM Maltti, was established in June 2003. In 2006, FIM Maltti returned 7.4% on a very low level of volatility, 2.9%. FIM’s first real estate fund, FIM Real Estate, started operating in May 2006 and the FIM MultiHedge fund of funds started operating in June 2006.

FIM Group Corporation

For additional information:
Jan Forsbom, Managing Director, FIM Asset Management, tel. +358 9 6134 6205
Christer Schoultz, Operations Director, tel. +358 9 6134 6402

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Established in 1987, FIM is a Finnish investment services group that offers asset management, brokerage and investment banking services for private persons and organizations. In addition to the head office in Helsinki, FIM has regional offices in Espoo, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lahti, Oulu, Riihimäki, Tampere, Turku, and Vaasa. FIM also operates in Stockholm and Moscow. The company’s net sales in 2005 were 63.5 million euros and operating profit 19.1 million euros. FIM employed 275 persons at the end of September 2006. www.fim.com.