Asset Servicing

Data giant S&P Global, best known for its credit ratings, is strengthening its position in the fast-growing market for private and alternative investments with the acquisition of the London-based platform With Intelligence for 1.8 billion dollars. The seller is Motive Partners, founded by Belgian fintech leader Rob Heyvaert.

Investre founder Georges Bock urges Luxembourg to stay ahead as blockchain reshapes the fund industry, warning that technology is advancing too quickly for comfort.

Luxembourg, long seen as the administrative engine of Europe’s fund industry, has evolved into a strategic global hub, with U.S. asset managers leading the charge. Firms like Blackrock, Invesco, and JPMorgan are anchoring cross-border operations in the Grand Duchy, turning it into a launchpad for global growth and highlighting America’s dominant role in shaping Europe’s financial future.

Once again, voices are rising to transfer the 195 billion euro in Russian assets frozen at Brussels-based securities depository Euroclear into a European investment vehicle. But within the Belgian camp, there’s growing concern that doing so would open Pandora’s box.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is preparing to launch a new range of Irish-domiciled active ETFs, but unlike many of its peers, the firm will oversee these funds from Luxembourg, not Dublin.

As artificial intelligence takes over functions once handled by offshore teams, asset managers and their services firms face a new frontier, one that blends automation gains with urgent ESG questions.

The number of licensed management companies in Luxembourg has held steady at 298. But this surface stability masks a quiet transformation in the Grand Duchy’s asset services industry.

Degroof Petercam Asset Services (DPAS), a key service provider to Luxembourg’s fund industry, will change its name on 1 June. The rebranding follows the acquisition of Belgian financial group Degroof Petercam by the French firm Indosuez, part of Crédit Agricole.

Art insurance is gaining traction in Belgium as discretionary collectors increasingly prioritise professional protection, clear provenance and fiscal transparency.

Luxembourg’s Raif market shows resilience in 2024, but Investment Officer’s data analysis shows slowing sub-fund launches, revealing growing caution in alternative fund markets.