Altura Governance, a new firm that provides governance and regulatory support to the financial services sector, launched in the Cayman Islands on 10 March.

The company offers regulatory advisory and compliance services to alternative investment managers, investment funds and financial institutions.

It brings together senior practitioners based across North America, Hong Kong and the Caribbean, with backgrounds in governance oversight, institutional client coverage and investment management operations.

It operates across multiple regions through affiliated entities, including Altura Governance (Hong Kong) Limited, which is licensed as a trust or company service provider under Hong Kong’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance.

The company was founded by Niaz Khan, a governance professional with more than 20 years of experience in financial services, a press release announcing the launch said on 10 March.

Khan previously served as chief executive officer for Cayman and Asia Pacific at Waystone, where he oversaw the firm’s governance and compliance business across those regions.

Earlier in his career, he held roles at Goldman Sachs and Ernst and Young in New York and Cayman.

Speaking to Cayman Independent, Khan said the decision to base Altura in Cayman was tied to both the market and his own professional history.

“The Cayman Islands was a natural choice for establishing Altura’s presence,” he said.

“Cayman continues to be one of the world’s leading centres for alternative investment funds and international financial structures, supported by a strong regulatory framework, a sophisticated professional services ecosystem, and a long-standing reputation for stability and legal certainty.”

Khan said a significant portion of global hedge funds and private equity vehicles are domiciled in Cayman, making it central to the governance and oversight of many international investment structures.

“As a firm focused on governance, risk, and compliance services, it was important for Altura to be located at the heart of that ecosystem,” he added.

Khan, who has been connected to Cayman since 2004, spent a decade in Hong Kong building governance services for investment managers across Greater China and the broader Asia-Pacific region before returning several years ago.

“Our goal with Altura Governance is to provide independent governance expertise and regulatory support to investment managers and structures that utilise Cayman vehicles as part of their global operations,” he said.