Advisory Business
A. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management (“Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management” or the “Firm”) is a
Luxembourg bank that offers a number of banking, wealth management, and investment advisory
services. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management was formed in 2007 and has offices in Luxembourg and
Ghent and Brussels, Belgium. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Fideuram – Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.p.A., which is ultimately owned by Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A.,
listed at the Milan Stock Exchange.
B. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management offers tailored investment advisory services to its clients in
addition to an array of banking, investment and other financial services. Advisory arrangements vary in
the types of investments recommended, general market advice rendered, and/or discretionary authority
afforded to Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management and the Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management
investment professional tasked with managing the client relationship (the “Client Relationship Manager”
or “CRM”). A portfolio management agreement (each, a “Portfolio Management Agreement”) governs
the Firm’s provision of advisory services to each client. Portfolio Management Agreements are negotiated
with clients and contain information regarding the investment objectives, strategies and other relevant
terms applicable to each account.
Both discretionary and non-discretionary mandates are offered to clients, covering a variety of financial
instruments. Clients opt into strategies that can, among other things, permit or restrict different asset
classes, aim to achieve certain levels of liquidity, target particular time horizons, or take on certain
volatility characteristics. Client Portfolio Management Agreements (i) outline constraints that limit the
portfolio to a target allocation of investments in, among other instruments, equities, bonds, debentures,
derivatives, shorts, commodities, third-party managed funds, including alternative investment funds (e.g.,
hedge funds, private equity funds, real estate funds), cash, money market products, and/or currencies, or
(ii) be generally unrestricted from investing in particular asset classes.
The Firm is headquartered in Luxembourg and is regulated by the Luxembourg Commission de Surveillance
du Secteur Financier in addition to being registered with the SEC. As a non-U.S.-based investment adviser,
the Firm relies on various positions of the SEC and its staff that permit a non-U.S.-based adviser to apply
the substantive provisions of the U.S. Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”)
and related rules only to its clients deemed to be United States persons (“U.S. Clients”). As a result, specific
SEC compliance obligations are applied by the Firm only to clients and potential clients who are U.S.
persons and those individuals associated with the Firm who provide services to U.S. Clients.
The Firm provides three primary types of investment advisory service offerings:
Discretionary Portfolio Management Mandates
Under discretionary portfolio management mandates, portfolio management is conducted by a dedicated
team of portfolio managers who ultimately have discretion over investment decisions, with no discretion
at either the client level or CRM level.
Dedicated Portfolio Management Mandates
Under dedicated portfolio management mandates, client portfolios are managed by the relevant CRM
who has the ultimate discretion over investment decision. The client may be involved to a certain extent
in the decision-making process, pursuant to the terms negotiated in the relevant Portfolio Management
Agreement. The investment sourcing and due diligence process is done in coordination with the Firm’s
dedicated team of portfolio managers. Due to the MiFID II regulation implemented in Europe, a vast
number of such mandates have been switched to Discretionary Portfolio Management Mandates.
Active Advisory Mandates
The CRM, supported by the Firm’s team of investment professionals, actively supervises the client’s
portfolio and makes investment recommendations consistent with the objectives stated in the client’s
Portfolio Management Agreement. The client ultimately has the discretion over investment decisions.
Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management has built a network of relationships in the investments space, and
actively leverages this network in servicing its clients. When suitable opportunities are identified, the Firm
will place (or recommend the placement of) client assets in private pooled investment funds managed by
third-parties or other investment advisers in the ISP Group (collectively, Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth
Management, Fideuram – Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.p.A. and Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A, are the “ISP
Group”). In some cases, the Firm’s team of investment professionals may approach a third-party or ISP
Group manager to create and manage a tailored structured product based on a particular thesis or
strategy (such tailored investment vehicles, “Structured Products”). In other cases, the Firm may decide
to invest
(or recommend the investment of) client assets in existing private investment funds managed by
third-parties or advisers within the ISP Group, or other private funds not specifically tailored to the needs
of the Firm and its clients (such non-tailored investment vehicles, “Third-Party Managed Funds”). In all
cases, the Firm and applicable CRM strive to make decisions in the best interests of the Firm’s clients, and
only make investment recommendations consistent with each client’s investment mandate.
The Firm also provides trade execution services with respect to certain client order accounts but does not
provide such accounts with regular and continuous investment advisory services. This service offering is
not available to U.S. Clients.
From time to time, the Firm also grants credit to certain advisory clients (but not to U.S. Clients) to use as
leverage. Upon a client’s request, a credit line may be granted against a pledge over such client’s portfolios
held with the Firm. The borrowed funds are reinvested in investments that are also held with the Firm
(and possibly also pledged in favor of the Firm, pursuant to the terms of the relevant credit agreement).
This Brochure describes the Firm’s current service offerings and will be amended to the extent the
advisory arrangements offered by the Firm change in the future.
C. The Firm provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to the clients
in accordance with each client’s investment objectives and limitations. Such investment objectives and
limitations may be tailored through close conversations among the client, the CRM, and other investment
professionals of the Firm, as applicable, Portfolio Management Agreement.
D. Certain clients pay a single “all-in” fee (an “All-in Management Fee”) to the Firm and/or its
affiliates for the provision of investment advice and other related services, which may include, but are not
limited to, brokerage services, custodial services, and transaction/execution services. Such arrangements
are commonly known as “wrap-fee programs”. The terms of each client arrangement, including services
to be provided by the Firm and its affiliates and fee arrangements, are outlined in the applicable Portfolio
Management Agreement. The All-in Management Fee (i) is typically calculated as a percentage of a client’s
assets under management; (ii) varies from client-to-client; and (iii) can change at the discretion of the
Firm and/or applicable CRM, if permitted pursuant to the applicable Portfolio Management Agreement.
This process is further described in Item 5 of this Brochure. In certain cases, the All-in Management Fee
will cover most execution charges for equity trades executed through the Firm and/or its affiliated banking
entities (although certain execution charges for transactions effected through the Firm and/or its
affiliates, such as dealer markups or mark-downs, odd-lot differentials, transfer taxes, handling charges,
exchange fees, wire transfer fees, offering concessions, related fees for purchases of public and private
offerings of securities, other miscellaneous charges and other charges imposed by law may not be
included in the All-in Management Fee). With respect to U.S. Clients under a combined fee structure, such
fee generally covers investment advisory fees, custodial fees and other administrative fees associated
with the account, but expressly does not cover transaction-based fees. The Firm does not (i) provide
execution services to U.S. Clients, (ii) receive transaction-based compensation from U.S. Clients, or (iii)
offer any wrap fee programs to U.S. Clients. Execution services are paid for separately by U.S. Clients to
third-party brokers.
The Firm’s Portfolio Management Agreements with clients under the All-in Management Fee structure,
inclusive of execution services, typically permit the Firm to place transactions through third-party brokers
or dealers if and when the Firm and/or its affiliates are unable to effect a particular transaction, or if the
Firm and/or applicable CRM believes that executing a transaction through an unaffiliated broker or dealer
is otherwise in the best interests of the underlying client. In determining the broker or dealer through
which to execute a transaction, the Firm considers relevant factors such that the Firm reasonably believes
that the broker-dealer selected can be reasonably expected to provide best execution under the
circumstances and it determines in good faith that the commission cost is reasonable in relation to the
value of the brokerage and, where applicable, research services provided. The Firm is not obligated to
solicit competitive bids for such transaction or to seek the lowest available commission cost. Rather, the
Firm takes a holistic approach to assessing broker-dealers in light of its best execution obligations. Please
see Item 12 of this Brochure for a further description of the Firm’s brokerage practices.
E. As of December 31, 2022, the Firm managed approximately $3,880,439,899 in assets on a
discretionary basis and $612,181,149 in assets on a non-discretionary basis.