Bermudian-based Apex Group Ltd, the global financial services provider, has been appointed to provide fund administration and middle-office services to the life insurance company of Azimut Group.

Apex said that Italian-based Azimut is one of the leading independent asset management operators with more than €80 billion in assets as of the end of October.

After a competitive process, Apex said, it has been appointed to provide services to Azimut Life dac, the life insurance company registered in Ireland.

Apex said that its fund administration services are the foundation of its single-source solution and ensure the delivery of timely, accurate and independent portfolio accounting, fund and investor reporting.

These services will be supplemented with Apex’s middle-office solution.

Apex said that its middle-office services are seeing growing demand from institutional investors including insurance firms, pension funds, endowments and alternative managers.

It said that Azimut Life will benefit from the flexibility, responsiveness and expertise provided by Apex’s team, with services underpinned by a range of best-in-class technology platforms.

Apex’s services will be delivered via Apex Connect, a secure, real-time, 24/7 web portal providing secure access to fund and investment data online.

The company said that Apex Connect communicates directly with the PFS-PAXUS database to offer a dynamic dashboard, fund data, portfolio analysis and documentation.

By automating manual processes, this technology will provide improved functionality, advanced reporting capabilities and operational efficiency, the company said.

John Bohan, co-founder and country head of business development, Ireland, Apex Group, said: “A robust middle-office and administrative function is paramount to the smooth running of a fund.

“As regulatory compliance requirements continue to evolve and grow in complexity, operational efficiency and economies of scale are vital.

“We will enable the Azimut Life team to focus on their performance and growth, whilst the Apex team help to mitigate risk and reduce their operational burden.”