Rice Financial Group Inc. is partnering with First Nations Financial Services Inc. in a joint venture to provide sales and servicing of group benefits and insurance products to First Nations and non-First Nations groups.

Rice Financial and First Nations FS will be equal partners in a new company to be formed and which is expected to commence operations by the fall, subject to receipt of all necessary approvals.

First Nations FS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tribal Councils Investment Group of Manitoba Ltd. TCIG is owned in equal parts by the seven Tribal Councils in Manitoba, representing 55 First Nations and over 100,000 people.

“We are very excited to partner with a dynamic and creative investment organization such as Tribal Councils Investment Group,” says Dave Velanoff, president and CEO of Rice Financial. “We have a long-standing relationship with our First Nations clients and we feel that this partnership with such a respected member of the Manitoba business community, and one with such strong ties to the First Nations community, will allow us to enhance our services and expand our First Nations client base.”

Rice Financial operates a network of branch and associate offices stretches from the B.C. coast to the Ontario/Quebec border, serving more than 85,000 clients and administering assets in excess of $4 billion. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jovian Capital Corp.