New York (HedgeCo.Net) – New research by BNY Mellon highlights a compliance shortfall among alternative investment funds (AIFs) on the eve of the deadline for Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) authorisation.

While 82 per cent of managers canvassed confirmed the required AIFM structure has been established to meet tomorrow’s [July 22] deadline, 44 per cent will not have received authorisation from their local regulator by that date.

The new survey highlights that a significant proportion of managers will have work left to complete in respect of key elements of the AIFMD regulations. For example, 31 per cent still need to implement risk and control systems, 36 per cent have yet to update fund documentation, and 38 per cent have yet to appoint a depository.

As a consequence of their experiences in respect of AIFMD compliance, the survey indicates that fund managers are now bracing themselves for higher-than-expected levels of cost and complexity when it comes to meeting requirements around the UCITS V regulation, which seeks to align the UCITS regulatory framework with certain aspects of AIFMD and is expected to be transposed into local law in 2016.

The new BNY Mellon survey, the third in a series conducted in conjunction with global business consulting firm FTI Consulting over the past year, canvassed 58 firms drawn from across Europe, the United States and Asia that operate, or are considering operating, a fund that would be subject to AIFMD.

The survey respondents – comprising a mix of small, medium and large fund managers – collectively hold over $406 billion in assets under management. Thirty two per cent of these managers operate more than five AIFs with 22 per cent of AIFs impacted by AIFMD.