Wealth Managers

The ambition of the financial sector to further democratise private markets is not yet convincingly reflected in practice.

Registrations of reserved alternative investment funds took a very relaxed late-summer break during August, quietening to a level last seen early in the Raif product’s history — in January 2019. Only 15 new funds were registered during the month, according to data from Luxembourg Business Registers analysed by Investment Officer.

This week’s overview of transfers in the fund and asset management sector includes appointments at Axa Investment Managers, Allianz Global Investors, Alter Domus and Linklaters.

Bruno Valersteinas has been formally appointed as Chief Executive Officer at OneLife per 1 August, replacing Antonio Corpas who passed away due to an accident in January.

OneLife said that Valersteinas’ appointment has been approved by the Commissariat aux Assurances, the supervisor for Luxembourg’s insurance sector. He formally takes on the role as CEO and dirigeant agréé, or authorised manager. 

Reserved alternative investment fund registrations (Raifs) in July continued a moderate recovery from a slowdown earlier this year, with 31 new Raifs added to the Luxembourg Business Register list.

Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (BIL), a Chinese-owned systemic bank in Luxembourg, on Monday posted a robust financial performance for the first half, revealing a net profit of 103 million euro, up from 68 million in the same period a year earlier. The bank attributed  the surge to the current global financial environment characterized by central banks hiking interest rates to combat soaring inflation levels. Clients deposits have fallen 6.8% during the first half.

KPMG Luxembourg announced Wednesday an agreement with developer BPI Real Estate to develop a new headquarters building in Kirchberg for its audit, tax and advisory services activities.

The deal includes developing a new 31,000-square-meter headquarters on the 3.23-hectare site of the Kronos Building. It will incorporate a food court and a co-working space. BPI Real Estate will develop an additional 24,658 square meters for mixed-use purposes.

High yield bonds are positioning themselves cautiously in the spotlight as recession fears recede and credit quality improves. While junk bonds perform best during periods of robust economic growth, a region that’s closely flirting with a recession is seen as having the most potential.

Luca Pesarini, founder and senior portfolio manager of Ethenea Independent Investors, does not mince his words, and so the management of the Ethna-AKTIV fund he helped found in 2002 is no nonsense. For instance, in a recent interview, he shows that he does not have a good word to say about European Central Bank policy and expects a return of inflation. He therefore preaches short-term paper for bonds. For equities, he is not negative but still quite cautious (Ethna-AKTIV fund). 

Switzerland-based investment house Lombard Odier has reported a 4% increase in assets under management since the end of December 2022, reaching 198 billion Swiss francs of assets at the end of June 2023. The result is due in part to “solid contributions” due to new net inflows in its private clientèle and asset management units, the firm stated.

At the same time, the firm says it is pursuing strategic investments in its operations. At the end of June 2023, the total assets of the Group’s clients reached 308 billion Swiss francs.