Plans by Paris-based Caceis to take over RBC Investor Services’ European business are raising redundancy fears among the firm’s 900 or so Luxembourg-based staff members in Belval, the quarter of Esch-sur-Alzette that was once known for its steel production and that now is home to a striking campus that includes RBC’s European head office.
Asked about synergies and possible redundancies, a Caceis spokesperson said “there is indeed some overlap in Luxembourg”. A trade union official said that the firm has promised today that there will be no forced layoffs.
Caceis, a leading European asset services company jointly owned by French bank Credit Agricole and Spanish bank Santander, on Monday announced plans that would bring it a good step closer to mainly US rivals, but that still leave it short of overtaking State Street and JP Morgan Bank as the two biggest in the business.
No 1 among Transfer Agents, for now
The Caceis-RBC combination would become the third-biggest in terms of assets under custody and assets under administration, and would, until State Street has completed its merger with BBH, take the top spot among transfer agents, according to calculations that Monterey Insights made at Investment Officer’s request.
For RBC’s Luxembourg staff, many of whom reside in northern France and work in Luxembourg, the deal, which also includes operations from its offices in Kuala Lumpur’s Cyberjaya district, reawakens fears of further redundancies as the French firm explicitly said it will be looking for synergies.
The plans were announced by making public the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Caceis and Royal Bank of Canada, RBC, with a view to acquiring the European arm of RBC Investor Services and its associated operations in Malaysia.
‘Tough business’
Financial details were not disclosed. RBC in 2012 acquired a remaining 50 percent stake in RBC Investor Services, originating from Belgian bank’s Dexia former business, from BIL for 838 million euro. Although this could, in theory, point to a multi-billion euro valuation today, the deal is unlikely to be valued above a billion because RBC had been losing business in a tough market.
The Canadian bankers “probably never managed to make the former Dexia business work for them,” said an industry insider. “RBC had effectively been looking for a partner for some time after they had lost business in the market. It’s a tough business, especially now. The trend is one of consolidation, and the business is getting tougher.”
Caceis said the acquisition would dilute its earnings per share, suggesting that it would finance the acquisition by issuing additional shares. After a strategic alliance agreed in December 2019, Caceis is owned for 69.5 per cent by Credit Agricole and for 30.5 percent by Santander.
Subject to worker’s council approval
The transaction remains to be approved by RBC’s workers council and financial regulators. Since RBC took control of Dexia’s former asset servicing business several hundred jobs have been cut at its Luxembourg operations, which employed some 1500 people in 2019. A significant number of its staff reside in France and commute to Luxembourg on a daily basis. RBC also has offices in France, Ireland, Switzerland and Belgium.
In its announcement, Caceis made a clear reference to “the realisation of synergies” as a condition to deliver on an expected return on investment of more than 10 percent over three years. Staff redundancies are being considered to achieve synergies in terms of governance.
‘Indeed some overlap in Luxembourg’
A Caceis spokesperson told Investment Officer that “there is indeed some overlap in Luxembourg, but other European geographies are highly complementary.”
“In terms of employment, the synergies envisaged as a result of the merger should materialise within two years, without any significant impact on the teams of the future Caceis group due to the major integration work to be carried out, the natural attrition of the teams and the number of vacant positions within Caceis,” she said.
Roberto Mendolia, head of Luxembourg’s bank sector trade union Aleba, said RBC Belval workers council was only informed about the deal after it was made public this morning. “This has been a well kept secret, safeguard correctly. For now there will be no forced redundancies. Some staff also are happy about the deal. It brings new fresh air to the company.”
The deal would include custody, global custody FX, fund administration, transfer agency, middle office and securities lending and RBC Investor Services is recognized as a leading provider of asset services and holds assets under administration in Europe of around 1.2 trillion euro and assets under custody in Europe of around 500 billion euro. Together, the combined entity of RBC Investor Services and Caceis would have around 4.8 trillion euro under custody and and 3.5 trillion euro under administration.
Larger geographical presence
The integration of the RBC Investor Services business into Caceis aims to deliver scale and a stronger competitive positioning, the firms said in a joint statement. Caceis would benefit from a larger geographical presence, full coverage of the value chain and an expanded offering for both existing and new clients,it said.
“This combination with RBC Investor Services helps us consolidate our position as a leading European player in asset servicing,” said Jean-François Abadie, CEO of Caceis in a statement. “We are enhancing our leadership across a range of services, increasing our position in a number of key markets, growing relationships with global asset managers, and increasing our capabilities and scale. Additionally, the staff from RBC Investor Services will bring their expert knowledge of the servicing needs of international investor clients and distribution services.”
Francis Jackson, CEO of RBC Investor Services, said that the deal allows it to “focus on our Canadian asset services franchise in our home market” and that “the proposed transaction will bring benefits to our clients and our employees.”
The completion of the deal is subject to regulatory and antitrust approvals, and is expected to take place by the end of the third quarter of 2023.