Investment Officer

Nicolas Mackel, the CEO of the Luxembourg for Finance development agency Luxembourg for Finance and considered as the de facto ambassador of Luxembourg’s financial sector, speaks to Investment Officer’s Raymond Frenken in this IO Talks podcast.

Daniele Antonucci has taken on a new role at Quintet Private Bank. He has been appointed as Co-Head of Investment & Chief Investment Officer per July 1, he announced in a post on LinkedIn.

Antonucci joined Quintet in April 2020 and has since then served as Chief Economist & Macro Strategist. Before joining Quintet, he was Chief Euro Area Economist at Morgan Stanley.

The world’s largest active bond house is warning that, despite last week’s declines, stock markets are still too optimistic about the ability of central banks to stave off a recession.

This recession, says Pimco’s global strategist Gene Frieda, is the most anticipated of all time, but it is indeed coming. He believes that the optimism in the stock market is premature: “Markets are still pricing in interest rate cuts too soon,” the strategist tells Investment Officer.

The European Fund and Asset Management Association (Efama) has declared that the European investment fund sector is not capable of undermining financial stability to the extent that it results in systemic risks.

Accountancy firm PwC’s latest global asset management survey predicts a Darwinian industry shake-up, forecasting that one in six asset management firms worldwide will disappear by 2027 amid looming consolidation and technological disruption. “The choice is simple – adapt to the new context or fail.”

Jean-Marc Goy, recently appointed as chairperson of Alfi, the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry, speaks to Investment Officer’s Raymond Frenken about his priorities for the association and about Luxembourg’s role as a leading European and global centre for investment funds.

The Luxembourg Sustainable Finance Initiative (LSFI) has identified a series of urgent training gaps within the finance industry that need to be addressed over the next two years, according to a recent report. This detailed examination of current training programs has laid the groundwork for a set of approved actions, designed to strengthen sustainability practices in the industry.

Apex Group on Thursday said it has been appointed by BTC Investment Group to deliver fund services to its Argento Energy Fund LP, launched by the Mexican family office BTC in 2022, to manage investments in the US onshore oil and gas industry, with a target size of 100 million dollars. Apex will provide the services via its Miami office.

In what appears to be the final stage of bidding for Belgian private bank Degroof Petercam, two foreign banks are set to battle it out, Flemish daily De Standaard reported on Thursday, citing ‘several observers’.  The bidding process for Degroof Petercam is expected to be completed this month.

Quintet Private Bank, headquartered in Luxembourg and operating across Europe, on Thursday said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. The agreement will extend Quintet’s investment capabilities, significantly strengthening its ability to meet the long-term needs of its clients while retaining full control of all its investment decision-making.