MSC Group awarded mandates for natural resources strategy

MSC Group will provide administration capability and trusteeship for a natural resources strategy focusing on the energy sector and select commodities.

MSC Trustees will provide trusteeship, while MSC Abacus will provide fund administration and registry services for the Gold, Energy and Resources Alpha Fund (GERAF), a wholesale strategy managed by Natural Resources Capital.

The team comprises Natural Resources Capital founder and chief investment officer Michel Mamet; chief operations officer Robin Polson; chief technology officer Andrew Lye; and four senior advisers: Nino Ficca, Richard Taylor, Louis Rozman and Alex Dignam.

"We are excited to be working alongside Michel Mamet and the Natural Resources Capital team, and everyone involved as they launch the fund," MSC Group said.

"The GERAF fund is an actively managed portfolio investing in listed equity stocks focused within the precious metals and industrial metals sectors globally."

Specifically, GERAF provides access to a portfolio "that extends beyond" conventional iron ore exposure into sectors that are positioned to benefit from secular growth drivers, including precious and industrial metals, energy value chains, and resource ecosystems and infrastructure.

"We often target businesses with proven management teams that are both highly experienced and deeply aligned with shareholders through significant personal investment," the fund said.

"Our focus is on producing and development companies, with a preference for assets located in Tier 1 jurisdictions, ensuring both risk mitigation and access to long-term value creation opportunities."

The open-ended fund has no fixed maturity date and will be open to applications monthly, targeting wholesale investors with a long-term investment horizon. It also incurs management and performance fees, which it does not disclose.

The fund was officially made available to eligible wholesale investors last month after completing initial investor applications on August 1.

Its current portfolio "has been strong" and has delivered unaudited returns of 85%, including cash on hand as of the end of May, from October 2024 - a period when Mamet began investing his own capital in line with the articulated GERAF strategy.