EMPEA has launched the Frontier Markets Council, an advisory body comprised of and dedicated to fund managers, institutional investors and industry advisers active in the frontier markets.

Robert van Zwieten, EMPEA’s President and CEO, said: “The formation of the Frontier Markets Council is a natural step for EMPEA as we move to engage more closely with our members around the globe. We look forward to working closely with the Council in supporting the ongoing development of the asset class and in enriching our coverage of these dynamic markets.”

EMPEA counts among our members numerous private equity fund managers and service providers who are active in the frontier markets, and recognizes that the term “frontier markets” invokes multiple meanings to various audiences.

For the purpose of this council, EMPEA considers frontier markets to be the subset of emerging markets with the least developed economic and political institutions.

The private equity market within these countries is characterized by a limited number of private equity deals per year, and a few, if any, private equity firms with offices in-country.

Most countries that meet this definition are located in South East Asia, Central and Western Africa, the Sahel, Central Asia, the Middle East ex-Gulf, South Asia ex-India, and Central America and the Caribbean.

Despite the disparate geographies in which they operate, firms active in frontier markets encounter similar operational and macroeconomic issues.

EMPEA’s mission is to help develop private equity in exactly these circumstances, and the Council will support the organization’s efforts in engaging members and industry stakeholders through content, programming and advocacy efforts that best address the specific needs of these frontier markets.

Peter Tropper, Senior Advisor at EMPEA, will chair the group.

The Council will provide a forum for its members to collaborate, share best practices and steer EMPEA’s frontier markets-related research and programming.

The Council will initially be comprised of seventeen leading fund managers and service providers who are active in one or more frontier markets, as identified by EMPEA.

Tropper said: “I am honored to help lead this initiative and to work alongside my fellow Council members, each of whom has a wealth of frontier markets experience and knowledge to share. Together we look forward to working with investors, fund managers and other stakeholders to advance the industry understanding of the private capital opportunities in frontier markets.”