Marc Enzler (pictured), SwissAnalytics' chief executive, says: "Our collaboration will not only enhance and complement both firms' product offerings, but is also an important step in the right direction for the industry, as finally, the need for proper due diligence becomes apparent.'"

The move comes as the industry moves past a miserable 2008, highlighted by the revelation of Bernard Madoff's immense ponzi scheme which overshadowed the otherwise massive fraud allegedly conducted by Tom Petters.

These, along with several smaller frauds, the alteration of funds' liquidity structures and a wave of suspended and gated redemptions have forced investors to realise the necessity of proper and complete due diligence procedures.

"Our goal is to provide clients with wholly independent due diligence reports and active monitoring services across the entire range of hedge fund strategies anywhere in the world in a timely and cost effective manner," adds Enzler.

BarclayHedge president Sol Waksman says the collaboration is a logical step to fortify its position as the leading one-stop-shop for hedge fund investors to source, compare, analyze and monitor existing and potential investments in the alternative space.

'We are proud to be able to partner with SwissAnalytics on this offering,' Waksman says. 'Its comprehensive approach systematically scores each fund on more than 140 qualitative risk factors. It's truly state of the art.'