Asset International acquires Plan For Life

Asset International, Inc. has acquired a business intelligence data and research for the Australian managed fund and life insurance markets.

Headquartered in Melbourne, Plan For Life is the foremost independent source of sales and related data on the managed fund and life insurance markets in Australia and New Zealand for fund managers, life offices, analysts, dealer groups and government bodies.

Simon Solomon, Founder and Managing Director of Plan For Life, commented, "Joining forces with Asset International is an exciting opportunity for me and my team at PFL, the company I started more than 20 years ago. AI's asset management focus, passion about data, close customer relationships and global resources will facilitate the expansion of our services to our many friends and clients."

Plan For Life will become a part of AI's Strategic Insight division, the New York, London and Hong Kong-based supplier of data, tools, and research to the global asset management industry.

As examples of anticipated synergies, Mr. Solomon cited Plan For Life's ability to introduce Strategic Insight to its more than 100 clients in Australia, the world's fourth largest mutual fund market. Plan for Life's data also will be incorporated into Strategic Insight's global services, and the combined firms' Melbourne and Hong Kong Offices are expected to enhance service coverage of AsiaPac clients. "There is an increasing interest among many investment managers around the world to participate in the growth of the Australian asset management industry," Mr. Solomon observed.

"Plan For Life allows us to expand our services as a primary resource of business intelligence for asset managers and asset owners worldwide," said Jim Casella, Asset International's Chief Executive Officer.