<!-- wp:paragraph --><p><strong><em>A range of flagship investment strategies will be available through ALUWANI Capital Partners</em></strong></p><!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><p><a href="https://www.franklintempleton.co.za/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Franklin Templeton</a> announced its strategic partnership with ALUWANI Capital Partners, one of the fastest growing, independent black-owned investment management businesses in South Africa. To complement its existing fund range, ALUWANI will offer a diverse suite of Franklin Templeton’s product offerings to institutional and retail clients in South Africa and broader South African Development Community (SADC) markets. </p><!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><p>Franklin Templeton strategies available to ALUWANI investors include global and emerging market equities, sector specific equities like infrastructure and technology, global fixed income, multi-asset solutions and exchange traded funds (ETFs). Many of these strategies are managed by Franklin Templeton and its specialist investment managers (SIMs), including <a href="https://www.westernasset.com/us/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Western Asset Management</a>, <a href="https://www.clearbridge.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ClearBridge Investments</a>, <a href="https://brandywineglobal.com/Index.cfm?" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brandywine Global</a>, <a href="https://www.martincurrie.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Martin Currie</a> and <a href="https://www.royceinvest.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Royce Investment Partners</a>. </p><!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:image {"id":147567,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://cover.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Sandeep-Singh-Sibusiso-Mabuza-Julian-Ide-1024x711.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-147567"/><figcaption><strong>From Left to right:</strong> Sandeep Singh, Sibusiso Mabuza and Julian Ide</figcaption></figure><!-- /wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph --><p><strong>Sandeep Singh, Regional Head for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Franklin Templeton, commented:&nbsp;</strong>“We are delighted to be partnering with ALUWANI Capital Partners. Whilst we have a longstanding presence in Africa, this partnership will help us to further expand our available product offerings and business development opportunities across the continent’s growing asset managment industry. ALUWANI is a natural, complementary fit with our existing business on the continent.”&nbsp;</p><!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><p><strong>Sibusiso Mabuza, CEO of ALUWANI Capital Partners,</strong><strong>&nbsp;commented:</strong>&nbsp;“We are excited about our partnership with Franklin Templeton, whose diverse range of investment strategies and differentiated capabilities will complement ALUWANI’s core offerings. The collaboration will further enable ALUWANI’s longer-term business strategy by offering competitive global solutions from Franklin Templeton’s various specialised investment managers in our target markets. Our relationship is also underpinned by an incredibly strong foundation, including access to Franklin Templeton’s global best practice across various focus areas like ESG and thought&nbsp;leadership, and will provide ample opportunities for skills development and knowledge sharing.”</p><!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><p><strong>Julian Ide, Head of EMEA distribution, Franklin Templeton, commented:</strong>&nbsp;“We are very pleased that both companies will be working collaboratively&nbsp;and leveraging each other’s diverse skills and experience. By coupling ALUWANI’s local fund offerings, strong relationships and deep knowledge of Africa’s domestic markets with Franklin Templeton’s global investment strategies and capabilities, we expect the partnership to unlock unique benefits for clients.”</p><!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><p>Franklin Templeton acquired Legg Mason in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.franklintempleton.com/investor/our-firm/delivering-better-outcomes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">July 2020</a>, bringing with it sophisticated expertise in core fixed income, equities and alternatives, while also expanding its multi-asset investment solutions. As of October 31, 2021 the combined company had over $1.5 trillion in assets under management.</p><!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><p>Having operated in South Africa since 1995, this latest agreement with ALUWANI will not only complement Franklin Templeton South Africa (PTY) Ltd.’s existing range of Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) registered offshore investment funds and specialised investment management services accessible to retail and institutional investors in South Africa, but further bolster its product offerings in other African markets.</p><!-- /wp:paragraph -->