Private Markets Firms Face Major Challenges in Opening and Maintaining Accounts

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 2025--

A seemingly innocuous and run of the mill task, accounts and payments have become overly complicated, painful and time consuming for professionals operating in private markets. Today, Alpha Group International plc ( LON:ALPH) is launching a new guide for fund managers and service providers. The guide offers advice and direction on the various aspects involved in setting up, managing and maintaining accounts, as well as how to ensure payments are made successfully.

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An uptick in regulations coupled with increasingly complex dynamics between investors, service providers and banks has complicated opening accounts and making payments. Private capital fund managers are now having to tackle nuanced and time-consuming onboardings with account providers, with each having their own unique process.

Delays in setting up the account can impact investor confidence; LPs might start to question a GP’s ability to execute on a deal. At best, the fund manager has to clarify AML and KYC information. At worst, it could mean their deal deadline is missed, which could mean returning capital to investors.

If GPs haven't considered and planned for this level of complexity, it’s possible (and from our experience highly likely) that the lack of transaction activity, coupled with the heightened AML and KYC requirements, will render their account commercially unviable for their banking provider. When that happens, GPs can quickly find themselves in a situation where their account is being closed at short notice.

This comprehensive guide details the various aspects involved in setting up, managing and maintaining accounts, as well as how to ensure payments are made successfully. Alpha also explores the potential risks, downfalls and solutions, including:

Alpha provides the world’s first purpose-built global accounts solution for the alternative investment industry. Fund managers and service providers can quickly and easily access local accounts across key investment jurisdictions and manage them all in one place, with the proactive support of a dedicated team who understands the industry. The company is listed on the FTSE 250 of the London Stock Exchange and supports close to 2,000 investment managers with a range of alternative banking solutions.

James Yates, Managing Partner and CFO at IK Partners said, “Having often experienced delays and uncertainty when trying to open bank accounts for investment entities, we decided to trial Alpha’s accounts solution. Since then, we have opened multiple accounts and each time have found the process to be fast, straightforward, and reliable. Their high levels of client service and ongoing support have been very refreshing – they are highly attentive, responsive and have a clear understanding of our industry and the pressures that come with it.”

Request a copy of the guide

To find out more about Alpha’s global accounts solution, visit www.alphagroup.com/accounts or contact info@alphagroup.com

A guide to accounts and payments for private markets

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — The Supreme Court in Guinea on Sunday upheld the election victory of Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, cementing the junta leader's transition to a democratically elected president four years after staging a coup in the West African nation.

Doumbouya won the country’s first election since the 2021 coup after polling 86.7% of the votes, according to the General Directorate of Elections. His victory, which had been predicted by analysts, was confirmed by the Supreme Court in the capital Conakry.

“Today, there are neither winners nor losers. There is only one Guinea, united and indivisible,” Doumbouya said in a broadcast late Sunday, calling on citizens to “build a new Guinea, a Guinea of ​​peace, justice, shared prosperity, and fully assumed political and economic sovereignty.”

Yero Baldé, the runner-up who won 6.59% of the vote, had filed a petition accusing the electoral body of manipulating the results in Doumbouya’s favor. But authorities said he withdrew the petition a day before the Supreme Court verdict.

The Dec. 28 election was held under a new constitution that revoked a ban on military leaders running for office and extended the presidential mandate from five years to seven years.

Critics say Doumbouya has clamped down on political opponents and dissent since the 2021 coup, leaving him with no major opposition among the eight other candidates in the race.

The weakened opposition “focused attention on Mamadi Doumbouya as the only key figure capable of ensuring the continuity of the state,” said N’Faly Guilavogui, a Guinean political analyst. "Guineans are waiting to see what efforts he will make to ensure political stability and reconciliation,” Guilavogui added.

Despite the country's rich mineral resources including the world’s biggest exporter of bauxite, which is used to make aluminum, more than half of its 15 million people are experiencing record levels of poverty and food insecurity, according to the World Food Program.

The junta’s most important initiative has been a mega-mining project at Simandou, the world’s largest iron ore deposit. The 75% Chinese-owned project began production in December after decades of delays.

Guinea's President, Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, arrives with his wife, Lauriane Doumbouya, to cast their votes in the presidential election in Conakry, Guinea, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Fode Toure)