Mike Gordon

Several major currents are affecting the alternative investing world as it attempts to appeal to a wider client base. These include technology (blockchain, tokenisation), sustainable investing and ‘retailisation’, which are said to be leading to the democratisation of alternative assets, which is trying to expand its customer base.

The business outlook for next year is characterised by concerns about inflation. Is it a temporary phenomenon linked to problems in the supply chain as consumer demand has picked up again this year? Or is it permanent? Central bankers are considering their usual anti-inflation tool, interest rate hikes and the removal of public measures to stimulate the economy. According to US economist Robert Reich, the real problem is more a matter of regulatory failure in the area of competition law.

In the Luxembourg financial and innovation sectors, blockchain is often discussed a key element in the financial industry’s future, mentioned alongside artificial intelligence as a way of promoting digitalisation and cutting unnecessary costs. But some who are familiar with the technology as part of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency have said that blockchain is a poor choice for this sort of application.

European financial centres are competing to benefit from rapid growth in SPAC investment vehicles on this side of the Atlantic after they came under regulatory fire in the United States. The Netherland’s Euronext leads in numbers, but Luxembourg attracts those with particular tax needs. 

Riccardo Lamanna has recently become the Luxembourg Country Head for State Street. He entered the position after spending more than 30 years in the business, having worked in Milan, London and Paris at various institutions, including JP Morgan, Paribas, the Intesa Sanpaolo Group and over the past 11 years, at State Street.

The Luxembourg financial sector has long-discussed the blockchain or as it’s also called “distributed ledger technology (DLT)” as way to strengthen the Luxembourg financial sector. As it was put by Ananda Kautz of Luxembourg’s banks and bankers association the ABBL: “Digital strategy, digital ledger technology, most commonly known as blockchain, has been a key strategic topic for ABBL since many years now.”

Faced with the recent strong growth of demand for sustainable investing products, the question can be asked: are fund distributors able to keep up with asset managers in equipping themselves to deliver what such investors are seeking? One participant at the recent ALFI Global Distribution Conference expressed some doubt.

Sustainable funds have grown significantly in the past few years, according to a new study. Sustainable funds’ net assets have increased by as much as 450% since 2018, rising sharply as a share of total fund assets.

Net new money invested in such funds was positive Europe-wide, up 50% in June 2021, reflecting 510% increase of net new money into sustainable funds over the 2018 level.

BlackRock, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Pictet Asset Management and Robeco were announced as the major category winners of the 2021 Broadridge Distribution Achievement Awards, presented at the ALFI Global Distribution Conference held on 21 and 22 September, according to a Wednesday press release issued by ALFI, which represents the Luxembourg fund industry.

UBS Asset Managers and Candriam Investor Group were among the “Fastest Risers”.

A recently-introduced German initiative to make that country a more attractive domicile for investment funds through a new regime promoting the formation of development impact funds should not pose a challenge to Luxembourg’s fund industry, has argued Maren Stadler-Tjan, investment funds partner at Clifford Chance Luxembourg.