LONDON, Nov. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Milltrust International Group (“Milltrust”), the Singapore-based sustainability and impact-led investment Group, has sold its UK subsidiary, Milltrust Agricultural Investments (“MAI”), to Future Planet Capital (“FPC”), a UK venture capital group. The financial details of the transaction are not being disclosed.
Milltrust has managed a range of award-winning emerging markets funds since 2012 committed to ESG and a decarbonised future. MAI was the sub-adviser to the British Innovation Fund (“BIF”), which Milltrust launched in 2016 with the backing of one of the largest UK local authority pension funds. MAI also advised on a number of Milltrust’s sustainable agriculture investments in Australia and New Zealand.
Notable investment successes include Vaccitech, the Oxford University spin-out whose work in developing the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine achieved world-wide acclaim. BIF also provided seed funding to the University of Edinburgh spin-out Roslin Technologies, one of the UK’s largest agriculture biotech start-ups that is now considered a global leader in the nascent cultivated meat industry.
Sustainable investing, including agricultural and science-focused investments will remain a key area of focus for Milltrust following the sale of MAI. Milltrust will continue to build out this capability through its FCA-regulated subsidiary, Milltrust International LP, and Milltrust Ventures in Singapore, regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
“Population growth, climate impact, health innovation, and food chain security will all remain long term secular challenges for decades to come. We continue to find hugely compelling life-changing investment solutions and innovative business ventures through our deep scientific network in these areas and we remain committed to developing these for our investors,” said the firm’s CEO, Simon Hopkins.
“The sale of MAI is a significant exit for our group, underpinning the value and expertise we bring to our early-stage venture investment programmes delivering real-world solutions. It will now enable us to fast-track our investments and growth in Asia and other geographies where we see a significant valuation arbitrage, as well as expand our ‘sustainable prosperity’ solutions for wealth management clients,” he added.
Milltrust, which has around $600m in assets under management across a range of ESG and impact investment funds and mandates, supports companies and projects that seek to address some of the greatest challenges facing the world today, including rising food demand, the development of emerging economies, healthcare, and climate change. Its investors include pension funds, sovereign entities, and family offices.
Milltrust’s funds include the award-winning Climate Impact Asia Fund, managed in partnership with WWF-Hong Kong, a branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature, which invests in leading Asia Pacific companies that are enabling the adaptation and mitigation of climate change. Milltrust also provides a range of ESG and impact-led wealth management solutions to entrepreneurs and high net-worth individuals.
About Milltrust International
Under the banner of Sustainable Prosperity, Milltrust International Group is a specialist, award-winning investment organisation co-headquartered in London and Singapore offering a range of life-changing investment solutions seeking to address some of the greatest themes of our generation including the development of emerging economies, rising food demand, technological revolutions and climate change. It was named ‘Best Asset Management Firm serving Family Offices and Private Banks (South East Asia Region)’ and ‘Best Asset Management Firm serving Family Offices and Private Banks (Greater China Region)’ at the prestigious Ninth Annual WealthBriefingAsia Awards 2021.
