The Merban Fund -- an open-ended mutual fund aimed at mobilising funds for investment in money market instruments, listed equities and other regulated financial instruments -- has been launched in Accra.

The fund is managed and administered by Merban Investment Holdings Limited (MIHL) -- a subsidiary of Merchant Bank -- and it targets individuals, pension and provident funds, and other corporate institutions.

The fund seeks growth and value creation for shareholders by aggregating funds for investment in a prudent selection of fixed-income securities, shares of listed companies on the Ghana Stock Exchange, and other stocks in emerging markets outside the country.

A total of 2,000,000 shares are available in the initial price offer, valued at GH¢0.10 per share and running for the next 21 working days. Stanbic Bank is the custodian of the fund.

Mr. Manfred Kafui Bressey, Head of Merchant Investment Holdings Limited, said: “The Merban Fund is permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to invest in all approved stocks all over the world.

“We will concentrate on the best stocks in emerging markets on the African continent where we have strong research information. Also, by diversifying over several economies, the fund is not susceptible to downturns in the Ghanaian economy.

“The structure of the fund is such that the manager has the opportunity to play in both the equity and the money markets with experienced hands.”

He said his company will leverage its vast experience in managing funds to ensure that investors get value on their investments: “MIHL is the pioneer and one of the leading fund managers in the country, having been operating for the past 37 years.

“Our highly trained staff are ready to offer professional and advanced portfolio management services to all shareholders. The fund also has strong and efficient fund administrative systems in place to ensure that it is managed properly.”

He said investors will have easy access to invest or withdraw from the fund through the bank’s wide branch network, and that redemption requests will be processed within a day.

Merban Investment Holdings Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merchant Bank Ghana Limited and is licenced by SEC as an investment advisor and fund manager.

It currently manages assets worth over GH¢180million and has about 10,000 active clients consisting of individual and institutional investors.