Building a bridge between overseas investment markets and fund finance professionals

Fund management to boost the Japanese economy

Tell me about Langham Hall and your role in the business?

Our company was established in London in 2006, and has bases in Europe, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shenzhen, and has earned trust in Asia and provided services to investors. Now, I have been appointed as the person in charge to expand the Japan office.

You mainly handle accounting and management of funds, but what exactly does that involve?

We are responsible for the administrative work of funds, and accountants are a similar occupation. A fund is something that accepts funds and acts as an agent for investment,　which is accompanied by various accounting tasks. With our knowledge of accounting and bookkeeping, we not only record and prepare financial statements, but also manage the fund in general.

What is your background, Mr. Miyata?

Years ago, I started a company that handled the same kind of work, which was rare even in Japan at the time, and ran it for seven years. Although Langham Hall did not have a base in Japan, its name was gradually becoming known, as it was attracting large Japanese investors, which is what I wanted to do. When I looked into it, I found that it also had many transactions with well-known asset management companies both in Japan and overseas and provided good services. For the past seven years, I have been working on the fund management side, and when I was introduced to Langham Hall as an administrative agent, I decided to change jobs as if it was love at first sight.

How has the response been?

Since launching, we have had clients immediately, and we have been off to a good start. Until now, Japan’s unlisted stock market has only dealt with domestic investors, but recently there have been more challenges to bring in overseas investors, and I feel that it is rewarding.
The time has come for small companies to deal with overseas investors.
Yes. For example, my wife’s parents run a souvenir shop, but when it is a family-run business, there are still some roughness in the accounting books. However, the fund sorts that out. If the accounting books and business model are good, we can consider buyers from overseas, and by extension, we can help with business succession.

It will be a catalyst for Japan’s sluggish economy. Where do you see yourself going from here?

There are few people in the same industry in Japan, so there is a business opportunity for us. First, we will focus on recruiting young people who are interested in this kind of administrative work and organise a team of professionals. Our next goal is, of course, to bring an overseas-style investment market to Japan. By bringing capital into Japanese companies, we hope to help them unlock various growth opportunities.