Asset Managers

Luxembourg’s leading financial sector associations, together with the supervisory authorities and the government, are about to launch a public campaign that seeks to elucidate the general public in the grand duchy on sustainable finance. 

In particular, the campaign aims to make clear that sustainable investing is more than just environmental ‘green finance’ and that ESG investing also relates to social issues and the governance of companies.

Even after 40 percent of the EU’s most sustainable fund assets was downgraded during the fourth quarter, managers of investment funds with an outspoken sustainability profile are still not sure whether their funds meet the requirements for ESG investments under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation.

Further downgrades are expected during the coming months.

Marion Le Morhedec is global head of fixed income at AXA Investment Management. For this edition of IO’s Portfolio Update podcast she spoke with Investment Officer’s Max Severijns.

Third-party assets in ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ funds and mandate solutions have been rising since October 2020, with 30 percent of assets under management now coming from clients other than ABN Amro. Meanwhile, the fund house is focusing on its latest solutions services.

Denis Panel has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of Sycomore Asset Management, a unit of Generali Investments, the firm announced on Tuesday.

Candriam Group, a New York Life investments company, said it has agreed to buy a majority-stake in pan-European real estate investment manager Tristan Capital Partners. Financial details were not disclosed.

Candriam already owns 31 percent of Tristan, With the new agreement its stake will increase to 80 percent by the middle of this year. The remaining 20 percent of Tristan will continue to be held by its senior team. 

Pictet Asset Management has announced the launch of Pictet-ReGeneration, a Luxembourg-domiciled concentrated global equity fund investing in companies aiding the transition to a regenerative economy. The fund is the latest addition to Pictet AM’s Thematic franchise, which now has a combined assets under management of some 62 billion dollars.

DWS, the asset management arm of Deutsche Bank, on Monday said that Olivier Dubost de Cadalvène, currently head of DWS in France, Middle East & Africa, has taken up the additional responsibility for Luxembourg. The appointment coincides with the appointment of Arjen Jonk as country head in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Index products have seen significant inflows at the expense of active products, reflecting increasing interest from both institutional and retail investors. The outlook for Europe remains positive in the coming years. Bond ETFs in particular still have strong growth ahead of them.

Last year was a tough one for financial markets, and the ETF segment was not left behind as assets under management - at the global level - fell for the first time since 2011. 

For investors in listed real estate who are deeply concerned about growth slowdowns and increased financing costs, 2022 is a year that will not soon be forgotten. For this week’s Top-5, we look at the best-performing global real estate funds in 2022.