Thoughts
Podcast: Hedge funds tested by March maelstrom – from volatility to inflows, what Citco’s Q1 2026 data reveals
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This podcast series is brought to you by Alternative Funds Insight (AFI) in association with the Citco group of companies (Citco) – the top hedge fund administrator according to the AFI 500 research ranking – to discuss the top trends in the industry, deep dive into Citco’s Q1 Hedge Fund Report and to discuss trending topics that managers should be in know of.
On the agenda for this episode, Declan Quilligan, Head of Hedge Funds Services, Citco Fund Services (Ireland) Limited, joins Will Wainewright on the latest AFI podcast to unpack a turbulent opening to 2026 for the hedge fund industry — one shaped by geopolitical shocks, market sell-offs, and the resilience that has come to define the sector. The conversation explores a well-documented pattern: volatility-driven drawdowns, particularly those rooted in geopolitical disruption rather than structural weakness, have historically preceded meaningful hedge fund upswings.
Key themes emerging from the Q1 data
- Operational scale is more critical than ever, as managers navigate an environment of growing complexity — freeing them to focus on what matters most: generating returns
- Treasury activity is accelerating, reflecting the increasingly dynamic capital management demands facing funds today
- Despite performance headwinds, investor conviction remained strong, with hedge funds recording net inflows of $24.1bn in Q1 — one of the highest single-quarter inflow figures seen so far this decade