From left: Nations Trust Bank Director Rachini Rajapaksa CFA, , CFA Society Sri Lanka President Sanjay Kulatunga CFA,  Portfolio Assistant Eshani Motha, JB Financial (Pvt.) Ltd Head of Ethics and Compliance Sonali Perera, JB Vantage Money Market Fund CEO and Fund Manager Christine Bandaranaike CFA and Foreign Affairs Ministry Singapore Ambassador-At-Large Bilahari Kausikan 

JB Vantage Money Market Fund, part of the JB Financials (Pvt.) Ltd portfolio, won Gold for best unit trust at the recently held, prestigious CFA Sri Lanka Capital Markets Awards 2016. 

JB Vantage Value Equity Fund bagged the Bronze in the same category, thereby dominating the category and underscoring their leadership position in Sri Lanka’s fund management arena. JB Financial is a relatively low-profile yet highly respected thought leader in the country’s domestic capital market, having spearheaded governance and ethics to advance the industry in Sri Lanka. They stand pre-eminent for the rigour of their market analytics and discerning insights. Consistency, risk mitigation, liquidity management and stewardship are hallmarks of their business ethos. Sri Lanka Capital Markets Awards is a flagship event of CFA Society Sri Lanka and held annually for the past four years. The awards recognize excellence in capital market products, the professionals who manage it and the positive impact on the development of the industry, locally. The ‘Best Unit Trust’ award category was introduced for the first time this year.

Thirteen funds from six unit trust managers were reviewed for judging, for the year ended March 31, 2016, with scores given for investment processes and risk adjusted returns, risk management and compliance practices, extent of fair disclosures to unit holders as well as emphasis on disclosure to unit holders and risk management and compliance practices of the firm.

“We are delighted to receive this award,” said an upbeat JB Financial Chief Executive Christine Dias Bandaranaike. “These awards are testament to the quality of our funds and illustrate the relevance of our management philosophy – simple principles, rigorously applied and guided by prudence.”

“Our winning products, both JB Vantage Money Market Fund as well as JB Vantage Value Equity Fund have been designed with careful calibration to market risks and best available growth strategies. Rigour, insight, integrity and governance are the cornerstones of our business which we take immense pride in. To be lauded for it is an added bonus,” Bandaranaike went on to note. “I also am very happy to applaud our team and recognize their hard work in serving our customers  and promoting industry-leading solutions,” she expressed.

“JB Vantage is one of the few unit trusts  that has self regulated its fees to one of the lowest in the market, while maintaining its offering of internationally recognized practices and standards,” said JB Financial Director and JB Vantage Value Equity Fund Fund Manager Murtaza Jafferjee. But I believe our greatest strength is the meeting of old-world values like prudence and stewardship, with best in class systems and resources - be it technology or human capital that delivers consistent performance in managing and creating wealth. Ultimately it’s not the awards that matter, the real gold is the trust we garner from our investors and the wealth we create for them. Our clients know we will always act keeping their best interest at heart. Character counts. That’s our greatest equity,” he added with pride.

JB Vantage Unit Trusts began in August 2011 with JB Vantage Money Market Fund. This was followed by JB Vantage Value Equity Fund in May 2012 and the JB Vantage Short Term Gilt Fund in January 2016. Currently the funds have over Rs.10 billion assets under management. The trustee and custodian of the funds is Deutsche Bank AG Colombo. JB Vantage deploys rigorous industry practices: Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS), CFA Asset Manager Code and CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Conduct.