abrdn Alternative Funds Limited

Reference number: 143445

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Authorised by the FCA

This firm is on the FCA register and authorised to carry out regulated activities.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When aberdeeninvestments.com first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 0131 372 9444 is
  • Who else gives the postcode EH2 2LL
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Other names (8)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

  • Aberdeen Trading name
  • Aberdeen Investments Trading name
  • Aberdeen Investments Global Trading name
  • abrdn Trading name
  • Aberdeen Standard Alternative Funds Limited Former name
  • Standard Life Investment Management Services Limited Former name
  • Standard Life Investments (Corporate Funds) Limited Former name
  • Aberdeen Standard Investments Former trading name

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Hold or safeguard your money · Manage or trade investments · Run or oversee funds FSCS may apply
    Eligible investment and pension claims are typically FSCS-protected up to £85,000 per person, depending on the product and your circumstances.
  • Give regulated advice FSCS may apply
    A claim for unsuitable advice is itself FSCS-protected, up to the limit that applies to the product you were advised on.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.
Show FCA detail (8 permissions)
  • Advising on investments (except on Pension Transfers and Pension Opt Outs)
  • Arranging (bringing about) deals in investments
  • Arranging safeguarding and administration of assets
  • Dealing in investments as agent
  • Establishing, operating or winding up a collective investment scheme
  • Making arrangements with a view to transactions in investments
  • Managing an unauthorised AIF
  • Managing investments

Limits on what they may do

  • Investment activity restricted to funds operated by the firm
    The investment activity must only take place in connection with the collective investment schemes operated by the firm
  • This firm may handle your money in passing but must not hold it, so payments should go to the product provider, never to a personal account.

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number
SC111488
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
7 June 1988 (38 years old)
Registered office
1 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2LL
Nature of business
  • Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified (SIC 64999)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Adam George Shanks Director Apr 1984 31 May 2021 7 other companies
Emily Jane Smart Director Apr 1975 5 Nov 2021 4 other companies
Anne Kathryn Breen Director Sep 1972 10 Jun 2022 10 other companies
Greg Neil Mackay Director Feb 1975 7 Apr 2025 None
ABERDEEN CORPORATE SECRETARY LIMITED Corporate secretary Not published 24 Sep 2020 –

Other companies run by these 4 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
20
closed down
4
went insolvent
2

In the full report: all 20 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 4 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • The 2 that went into liquidation or administration
  • The 3 on the FCA register
  • The 1 company these 4 directors run together
  • All 33 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Key dates in its history

Abrdn Alternative Funds’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (12) All events (83)

2023

11 December 2023

  • FCA imposed a requirement (Investment activity restricted to funds operated by the firm)
  • FCA imposed a requirement (May control but not hold client money)

FCA register

2022

25 November 2022

  • Changed its registered name from "Aberdeen Standard Alternative Funds Limited"

FCA register

2020

30 September 2020

  • Changed its registered name from "Standard Life Investments (Corporate Funds) Limited"

FCA register

2016

6 April 2016

  • Abrdn Investment Management Limited took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2013

1 April 2013

  • Regulated by the FCA from this date

FCA register

2001

1 December 2001

  • Regulated by the Financial Services Authority from this date
  • Became authorised by the FCA

FCA register

1999

15 October 1999

  • Board replaced: all 3 directors left and 5 new directors took over

Companies House

1998

21 October 1998

  • Changed its registered name from "Standard Life Investment Management Services Limited"

FCA register

1988

7 June 1988

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

1901

1 January 1901

  • Regulated by the Investment Management Regulatory Organisation from this date

FCA register

In the full report: all 83 events

  • All 83 events in its history (12 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 58
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Firms connected to abrdn Alternative Funds

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with abrdn Alternative Funds. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firms
3
share a director
2
share its postcode
1

In the full report: all 3 connected firms, named

  • How each is linked: shared directors (2), the same postcode (1)
  • Who links each one: the named directors, with dates
  • 1 past link through former directors
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Firms like abrdn Alternative Funds

Other firms of the same type (investment or fund manager), nearest first.

In Edinburgh

HBOS Investment Fund Managers LimitedEdinburghAuthorisedAegon Investments LimitedEdinburghAuthorisedScottish Widows Unit Trust Managers LimitedEdinburghAuthorisedBaillie Gifford & CoEdinburghAuthorisedBaillie Gifford & Co LimitedEdinburghAuthorisedBaillie Gifford Overseas LimitedEdinburghAuthorised

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on abrdn Alternative Funds

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 20 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 83 events in its history
  • 3 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is abrdn Alternative Funds Limited FCA authorised?
Yes, abrdn Alternative Funds Limited (FRN 143445) is authorised by the FCA to carry out regulated activities. It has held its current authorisation since December 2001 and works as an investment or fund manager. The FCA has placed 2 limits on what it may do.
What is abrdn Alternative Funds’ phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 0131 372 9444 and the website aberdeeninvestments.com for abrdn Alternative Funds. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is abrdn Alternative Funds a scam or clone?
abrdn Alternative Funds is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with abrdn Alternative Funds?
Its FCA permissions do not allow it to hold or control client money. It depends on the product, but eligible claims may be protected by the FSCS. You can also refer complaints about abrdn Alternative Funds to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.
Who owns abrdn Alternative Funds?
abrdn Alternative Funds is owned by Abrdn Investment Management Limited, which holds 75–100% of shares, 75–100% of votes and can appoint and remove the board, since 6 April 2016.
Who runs abrdn Alternative Funds?
Companies House lists 4 directors of abrdn Alternative Funds: Adam George Shanks, Emily Jane Smart, Anne Kathryn Breen and Greg Neil Mackay.
How long has abrdn Alternative Funds been in business?
The company was formed on 7 June 1988, and has held its current FCA authorisation since December 2001.
Does abrdn Alternative Funds use any other names?
It trades as Aberdeen, Aberdeen Investments, Aberdeen Investments Global and abrdn. It has previously used 4 other names, including Aberdeen Standard Alternative Funds Limited, Standard Life Investment Management Services Limited and Standard Life Investments (Corporate Funds) Limited.

Sources and links

The full report on abrdn Alternative Funds Limited

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