Page 33 - ASCOT GROUP COMPLETE DOCUMENT (2)

Summary

This is a funding proposal seeking establishment capital in return for a shareholding, for a new ‘one
stop’ financial services group, based on the Isle of Man, designed to utilise state of the art internet
facilities to provide rapid interactive application and servicing, wherever in the world clients are
located. The aim is to interface via a client facing portal through which applications are made, real
time information on investment performance viewed, instructions given, and support accessed.

An inexorable growth in online retail behaviour across all markets is driving a revolution in client
expectations that is fundamentally challenging the existing financial services marketplace to
modernise or fail. Clients now demand readily available information in respect of their investments
by means of a secure, simple, easily navigated online capability. Established financial services groups,
in particular insurers, are subject to widespread modernisation inertia due to long established back-
books being maintained on ageing systems totally unsuited to current and future client demands by
reason of cost and complexity. We believe there is an opportunity for a new financial services group
to attract a significant proportion of the international insurance and fund management market, taking
advantage of this.

The Ascot Group will feature at its heart, an Isle of Man based life company, and this company will be
the initial focus of effort to be brought to market. To enhance this offering, in due course, will be a
fiduciary company to offer a range of trusts and foundations in which to wrap products (and to offer
additional services to HNW individuals and companies), a limited range of Bermuda funds (as a low-
cost alternative, and to access markets in which the life company is prohibited), and an authorised
international adviser.

As we are reliant on electronic data to run our business, data security is a priority for Ascot Group, and
state of the art protection and backup data will be in place

Distribution

The most critical aspect of any launch is the path to market. Our distribution strategy is presented in
more detail later, however, to summarise, there are two main distribution channels Ascot Group
intend to utilise:

1. IFA/Master Distributor and sub distributors
2. Affiliate Marketing and Direct Sales

We intend to launch with the traditional, IFA/Master Distributor route to market, as this is well known
and understood. Concurrently, we will be working to develop our pathway into the affiliate marketing
and direct sales markets.