Asset Servicing

While strides have been made in governance practices, significant disparities remain across regions and fund types, shows a fund governance survey conducted by PwC Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Institute of Directors, ILA. Especially Alternative Investment Funds have yet to make big steps in governance, it shows.

This week’s overview of transfers and appointments in and around Luxembourg includes updates from UI Luxembourg, Waystone, Schroders and Moonfare.

Luxembourg-based investment advisory firm Alumia has announced a partnership with CIFC Asset Management, an alternative credit specialist headquartered in Miami.

Luxembourg’s financial watchdogs are stepping up their scrutiny of terrorist financing amid concerns that the Grand Duchy’s status as an international financial hub makes it vulnerable to abuse by illicit actors.

VanEck, the US-based pioneer of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), has recently launched VanEck Direct, a new app that enables the company to sell investment products directly to retail investors—bypassing banks and brokers.

Disruptive technology is shaping nearly every aspect of the global asset management industry, from growth and competition to innovation and acquisitions, according to PWC’s Asset and Wealth Management Survey 2024.

Luxembourg’s financial regulator CSSF has delivered a sharp warning to the country’s Investment Fund Managers (IFMs) regarding weaknesses in oversight practices when delegating portfolio management. The CSSF’s latest review highlights specific shortcomings, particularly in conflict of interest management and contingency planning, that could expose IFMs to regulatory risk and potential operational failures.

With the hype around artificial intelligence and despite its high-profile failures and misuses, it’s clear the global financial sector has plenty of interest in AI, especially in hopes of finding yet another way to outsource low-complexity work. Many large financial firms have set up special departments to explore and lead the introduction of the technology in its various product offerings.

Luxembourg’s financial regulator has issued a relatively small fine for a class of transgression with huge implications for the industry: valuations of funds, in particular for unlisted alternative investments.

JP Morgan and State Street have reinforced their dominance in Luxembourg’s fund industry, according to the latest Monterey Insights Luxembourg Fund Report 2024.