Estates and Infrastructure Exchange (EIX) is a new investment exchange that trades bonds in global infrastructure projects, connecting project owners with professional investors.
We spoke to Dan Garrity, marketing manager at EIX, about the company's growth ambitions and why London was a natural home for the new exchange.
What does your company do?
“We are a new investment exchange which will focus predominantly on infrastructure project bonds as an asset class. We have an exchange where people will be able to launch and trade bonds in infrastructure and estates projects. Those bonds can also be traded on an open market. The exchange is for global professional investors and projects can be located globally. We are targeting projects with a value between £20m and £500m. We are looking at, among others, renewable energy projects, transport projects, regeneration and development, affordable housing and hospitals, medical facilities and care homes.”
“The City of London has a very well respected history in financial markets and is seen as being a leader in financial services worldwide. This helps us with our international audiences.”
Why did you choose London as the base for your company?
“The City of London has a very well respected history in financial markets and is seen as being a leader in financial services worldwide. This helps us with our international audiences. We are also very well connected.
The commutable distances for going to meetings and for all of our staff coming in and out of the office are ideal as we are connected to multiple modes of transport. We are within reach of most of London within 45 minutes to an hour even if we are going to the outskirts.
And from a digital perspective, the infrastructure is there so we can run the exchange ideally from where we are.
We have a technology partner in Aquis. They are a technology provider for exchange networks and they are based just round the corner from us so meetings with them are really straight forward.
We also have the head offices of some of the large legal teams that we work with that are all within a five minute walk of the office. It's really helpful to at short notice just arrange face-to-face meetings. With the kind of contracts we're negotiating and the timescales involved, everyone being in the room together makes a huge difference.”
How do you see your future commitment to London?
“We see this as home to be honest with you. It's hugely important that we are connected to the global investor base in London. But also the label of being part of the City of London gives us that additional level of inherent respect that comes with being a financial institution in the City.
In the age that we are in, your base could in effect be anywhere for a digital business. But in terms of the stature that comes from being positioned where we are, the connections that are available and the way that we can bring the teams that we work with in and out of this venue, our current location is ideal.”
“It's hugely important that we are connected to the global investor base in London. But also the label of being part of the City of London gives us that additional level of inherent respect that comes with being a financial institution in the City.”
Would you recommend London as a base for other companies?
“We would definitely recommend others looking to set up a base in London to do so. Technical infrastructure is just a given. You don't have to worry about broadband speeds or technology implications. And when meeting or entertaining clients, there are so many levels of history and character around us.”