Wealth Managers

Rising interest rates and the demise of Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse have led to a paradigm shift in private equity and venture capital. Reji Vettasseri, lead portfolio manager at Swiss private finance group Decalia, believes investors now need to to be innovative with emerging strategies, carefully selecting ‘small cap’ firms to invest in instead of fleeing to the safety of larger ventures.

Europe’s fund and asset management organisation Efama, active in the development of the updated European long-term investment fund, expressed  strong optimism this week about the updated vehicle’s interest to both professional and retail investors and its ability to fulfill its Capital Market Union aspirations.

Despite early questioning of its ability to provide sufficient liquidity to attract retail investors, Efama’s expert detailed how the legislation provides several tools that afford liquidity solutions.

BTG Pactual, the largest investment bank in South America, said it acquired Luxembourg-based private bank FIS Privatbank in a move that should enable its Latin American clients to diversify their investment portfolios in developed countries while expanding its European client base beyond Portugal, Spain and the UK.

The European Union on Monday published the text of its updated regulation on long-term private investment funds, known as Eltif 2.0, in its Official Journal, clearing the final hurdle before its implementation from January next year.

The publication was expected following the adoption by the European Parliament in February. Luxembourg, as a leading investment funds hub in Europe, is keen to develop itself as an international hub for this new type of investment funds which will open up alternatives and private equity also to non-institutional investors.

The head of the European Securities and Markets Authority, which oversees and coordinates the work of European supervisors in asset management, on Tuesday called on the industry to pay more attention to the management of increasing interest rate risks and to step up its efforts in terms of “prudent management” of the investment funds.

Less than a month after the European parliament adopted its updated regulation for Eltifs - the European long-term investment funds - the new framework may be showing its first cracks. The lack of liquidity remains problematic, and that makes it unsuitable for private investors. 

Schroders Capital on Wednesday said it has launched its first European Long-Term Investment Fund, or Eltif. The fund is called the Schroders Capital Private Equity Eltif 2023 and is classified as a ‘green’ Article 8 under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation.

Schroders Capital Private Equity Eltif 2023 will focus on lower and mid-market private equity buyout and growth investments primarily in Europe but with the flexibility to allocate to non-European companies with high operating exposure to Europe, the firm said.

The market for European long term investment funds, or Eltifs, is set to triple in the coming years as high-net-worth clients increasingly look to diversify their portfolios by increasing their exposure to private markets, according to US fund manager BlackRock. “We have, I would say, aggressive plans to expand.”

The European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday (15 February) adopted the eagerly anticipated upgrade of the EU regulation for long-term investment funds, a package known as Eltif 2.0. An overwhelming majority of 492 members, or 70 percent, voted in favour.

Stocks have continued their rebound into 2023, delivering one of the best openings to a calendar year since January 2000. Morgan Stanley however believes the gains are just another bear market bounce. 

The inverted yield curve in the US, the curious outperformance of gold, and falling demand for oil in the US are three factors that warrant particular attention, Lisa Shalett, Morgan Stanley’s chief investment officer , told investors this week.