OREANDA-NEWS. February 14, 2012. Awarding it the prestigious Lipper Fund Award, Thomson Reuters has voted (SEB Russia Fund) the best Russian equity fund with a five-years-plus operating history on the Swiss equity market, reported the press-centre of SEB.

SEB Russia Fund is an equity fund with assets invested in the equities of companies in Russia and, to a lesser extent, in CIS countries as well. Particular emphasis is laid on the selection of equities of small and medium-sized companies. Registered in Luxemburg, the fund has been managed daily from Tallinn since its launch in 2006. The fund is managed by the highly experienced fund manager Sulev Raik, one of the six members on the SEB Eastern Europe Equity Team. The team manages SEB’s Eastern Europe equity funds, the assets of which amounted to 915 million euros as at the end of last January.

Sven Kunsing, Member of the Management Board of SEB Asset Management: “I am delighted that years of work by Sulev and the entire SEB Asset Management equity team in managing SEB’s Eastern Europe equity funds has been found recognition yet again, this time in Switzerland, one of the most important investment fund markets in the world.“

Sulev Raik, Fund manager: “For us, Switzerland has been a very important target market outside the traditional markets of Scandinavia, Luxemburg and the Baltic countries. We have been actively engaged there, and that is why I am delighted that Russia Fund has garnered such a coveted prize.“

Since its launch, the SEB Russia Fund has been one of the best funds in its benchmark group in terms of its rate of return, outperforming its benchmark index. As at the end of last January, the volume of SEB Russia Fund’s assets was 277 million euros. At the end of last January, most of the investments were in equities of Russian companies (with an emphasis on small and medium-sized companies), with less than five per cent of the portfolio made up of equities of Ukrainian companies.

Thomson Reuters’ Lipper award is bestowed on the investment funds and fund managers that have performed consistently better than funds in the benchmark group. Identification of the winner employs a patented assessment method that guarantees objectivity and is based on the performance of funds. The impressive reach of the Lipper Awards is evidenced by the award ceremonies, conducted in 23 countries around the world.