Chatham Financial of Kennett Square is expanding its consulting practice and flagship software platform to help its financial clients meet international regulatory deadlines.

Chatham Financial, founded by Michael Bontrager in 1991, is an independent full-service interest rate and currency risk advisor also providing technology solutions.

The firm recently beefed up capabilities of its flagship ChathamDirect Software-as-a-Service (Saas) platform to help fund managers navigate upcoming regulatory requirements under the Alternative Investment Fund Management Directive (AIFMD) and the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR).

Compliance with the new requirements – which go into effect this summer – is presenting significant challenges for the asset management industry, as funds will soon be required to value assets, debt, and derivatives independently from portfolio management.

“As AIFMD and EMIR requirements converge, an exponential increase in terms of regulatory complexity for fund managers follows,” said Phong Dinh, a director at Chatham Financial.

“This is because funds managed under AIFMD in turn become ‘financial counterparties’ in the eyes of EMIR. As a result, these funds will become subject to a strict set of EMIR regulations. With many fund managers not currently prepared or perhaps even aware of these new rules, it’s crucial that these organizations take steps to ensure they’re fully compliant with both regimes.”

Compliance with daily valuation reporting will require a firm to have in place a sophisticated degree of know-how and technological infrastructure, explained Christina Norland, another Chatham Financial director.  She said Chatham Financial’s technology and expertise help fund managers bridge the gap to compliance.

Chatham Financial has more than 1,200 clients in the areas of interest rate, foreign currency and commodity hedging, hedge accounting, regulatory compliance, and debt and derivatives valuations.   The firm also has offices in Colorado, Europe, Asia and Australia.