First Frontier

"Dominic Bokor-Ingram recently visited a growing economy full of well-run companies that the London-based money manager deemed ripe for investment. The catch: The place was Tehran, a target of grinding international sanctions. 'I've been to countries where things are booming and it looks great, but never with the level of infrastructure Iran has,' he said. A handful of intrepid institutional investors like Mr. Bokor-Ingram, an investment manager who works for the U.K.'s Charlemagne Capital, are considering an entry into Iran, one of riskiest frontiers of global equities. Eager for a competitive edge, they are planning joint ventures, hiring staff and bracing for what can be a capricious business environment. Iran's $100 billion stock market is a major focus, given that there is no limit on foreign investment and they view it as severely undervalued... Unlike multinationals, companies like Charlemagne and London-based First Frontier Capital don't have a presence in the U.S., where restrictions on dealing with Iran are harsher than in Europe... First Frontier, a boutique investment bank, also announced plans in April to set up an investment fund with Tehran's Agah Group. As with the Charlemagne-Turquoise deal, First Frontier is trying to combine its ties to non-Iranian institutions with Agah's knowledge of the local market to take advantage of the opening." (The Wall Street Journal, "Investors Eyeball Iran Market", 6/14/15)

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"A group of European investors will be visiting Tehran in a few weeks to assess opportunities in the Middle East’s second largest economy. They are being represented by London-based boutique investment bank First Frontier on their first visit to Iran following 'a year’s worth of laying the groundwork for investment into Iran'. Nicholas Banszky, chairman of First Frontier, says Iran represents tremendous investment potential, hoping the trip will result in a long and fruitful involvement. 'This is something we’re very committed to and we see it as a huge opportunity,' he said... First Frontier has tied up with an Iranian investment banking firm, The Agah Group, to provide research on the country’s leading companies, its CEO Banszky said." (PressTv, "Europe investors on first visit to Iran," 4/15/15).