4AM Asset Management is a discretionary investment management company with a strong focus on alternative investments. Together with 4AM Club, which started as a networking group for entrepreneurs initially focusing on sharing knowledge and insights, it grew into a social media group with several thousand followers.
“With the 4AM Club, the idea was to promote excellence through knowledge and culture,” says co-founder Marcius Van Antwerp. “We were a group of like-minded people trying to build wealth, identify opportunities and investment.”
4AM Asset Management first obtained its licence in 2021 and obtained its CAT II licence in 2022. It rebranded to 4AM Asset Management in October 2024 when it joined hands with 4AM Club.
It has launched several portfolios unashamedly pitched at those prepared to take risks to beat inflation.
One of these is a derivative portfolio that aims to generate profits by exploiting price movements and volatility in various underlying currencies and commodities. It was launched in June 2023 and has shown positive growth every month since then, achieving total returns of 33.3% in 2024 and 15.3% for the nine months to September 2025.
These returns have blown past the benchmark consumer price inflation (CPI) plus 7% and handsomely beat the FTSE/JSE returns on an annualised basis in the last two years.
4AM Asset Management co-founder and key individual (KI) Paul Matthew says the portfolio uses leveraged derivatives to maximise gains, but aims to strike a balance between risk and reward – principally by limiting trade position sizes to a small percentage of capital deployed.
Another interesting portfolio is the ‘Arbternative Portfolio’ which aims to deliver asymmetric returns through tactical use of alternative and arbitrage strategies. This involves identifying and profiting from price dislocations and volatility across different asset classes such as currencies and commodities. On an annualised basis, it has achieved returns of 26.48% – also well in excess of the benchmark CPI plus 7% and the FTSE/JSE.
Matthew says the portfolio is designed for those with high risk tolerances and an appetite for market opportunities that others miss.
Like the derivative portfolio, the Arbternative Portfolio was launched in June 2023 and has yet to record a single loss in any month since then.
The company retains a 25% profit share from the portfolio, which aligns the incentives with those of investors.
The index tracker portfolio has a more conventional feel, investing most funds in an S&P 500 exchange-traded fund (ETF) and a small portion in a diversified crypto asset portfolio. The S&P 500 ETF provides broad exposure to leading US companies, offering diversification, liquidity, and consistent market-linked returns. This unconventional blend of traditional and non-traditional investments is aimed at those who are comfortable with limited crypto exposure, as this has proven to turbo-charge overall returns in the last two years.
“This is a portfolio that is predominantly invested in traditional US equities, but with some potential excitement coming from the relatively small crypto exposure,” says Van Antwerp.
Historical data shows that this strategy, based on these two asset classes, has a volatile record, however the combination still provides an impressive 46.2% since 2020, which is still well ahead of the benchmarks.
Also on offer is a GoldTech portfolio, invested 50% in gold ETFs and 50% in the Nasdaq.
It has demonstrated an ability to deliver asymmetric returns since 2015 based on historical data, with an annualised return of 21.1% over that period – more than double the relative benchmarks.
The Nasdaq ETF provides exposure to high-growth technology and innovation-driven companies with strong return potential. In contrast, the gold ETF acts as a hedge against market volatility, and a counter-cyclical weight in times of inflation and economic downturns. It is designed to preserve capital during periods of uncertainty.
The combination of gold and tech provides downside protection during market downturns.
“It’s aimed at investors who want exposure to market growth but are also cautious of market uncertainty,” says Matthew.
Then there’s the crypto portfolio which, as one might expect, is prone to bouts of volatility.
Based on the historical data, the returns in good years (such as 2021) have been as high as 269%, but this was followed by a decline of 140% in the crypto bear market of 2022.
The portfolio comprises Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), XRP, and Solana (SOL), all high-conviction crypto assets that broadly follow the same market momentum. This is not for the risk-averse, says Van Antwerp, as crypto returns can vary wildly from one year to the next.
“What we are finding among our investors is that many understand the risks of crypto assets and are prepared to put a small amount of capital into the portfolio, knowing that returns in the good years can be exceptional.”
The fees are relatively high at 5% a year, and the minimum deposit is R100 000.
“Our aim is to build generational wealth for our clients, most of whom have high risk tolerances,” says Van Antwerp.
“Most clients are looking to beat inflation and build wealth that they can hand over to their children. Our advice is to spread risk by investing in a number of different portfolios rather than just one, and to withdraw once a year rather than once a month as this can impact overall returns. It’s also better to withdraw from portfolios that have performed well, rather than those that haven’t.”
Disclaimer: 4AM Asset Management (Pty) Ltd is an authorised Category I and Category II financial services provider with licence number FSP51867. 4 AM Asset Management does not make any guarantees with respect to the protection of capital or returns. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of future performance. A full risk disclosure is available from 4 AM Asset Management.
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