Boutiques ditch FTSE Group after licence charge hit

Two boutique fund management houses have dropped FTSE Group from client literature after being asked to pay an annual licence fee to feature its indices and branding, with costs ranging between £15,000-£20,000.

Investment Week has learnt FTSE Group sent letters to a number of boutique fund management houses, which had not previously been charged to use its intellectual property. The licensing agreement allows firms to use FTSE Group’s trademark in marketing and promotional material to external clients. Unicorn Asset Management and Slater Investments are two of the boutiques which have been hit with the bills. Both firms called the licence fees ‘excessive’ and have subsequently dropped FTSE from factsheets when comparing fund performance. A spokesperson for Unicorn said the charges add ano...