Olivetree Securities, the equities intermediary brokerage firm, has formed a partnership with Global Prime Partners, a provider of prime brokerage and trading services.

The partnership will allow smaller hedge fund companies to benefit from an extended but targeted service offering.
 
Olivetree and Global Prime Partners are expecting increased activities with smaller hedge fund firms that are sometimes overlooked and under-serviced by global banks. The hedge fund industry is set to emerge strongly out of the financial crisis, with inflows of USD25bn already, according to research from Barclays Capital.
 
Daryn Kutner, Olivetree’s chief executive and founder, says: “The smaller end of the hedge fund market is clearly underserved outside of the US. We have created our service to specifically address the needs of that growing market segment.”
 
Kevin M. LoPrimo, managing director and head of hedge fund services at Global Prime Partners, adds: “We are engaging in a series of strategic partnerships with specialists in order to provide a full front to back solution for smaller hedge fund managers. We found an ideal partner in Olivetree Securities, which has extensive research capacities and will add value to our client base. We see this partnership helping smaller hedge fund management firms to get to market with fewer overheads and in a much shorter time frame.”