Esma faces uphill battle to emerge as European SEC
In an interview with Investment Officer, Esma chair Verena Ross outlined her vision and the significant challenges ahead as the regulatory body aims to become Europe’s equivalent to the US SEC.
Blackrock sees no shift in sustainability approach
From the 17th floor of the Rembrandt Tower in Amsterdam, Blackrock has a clear view of a market where scrutiny of its climate strategy is intensifying. Pension funds, policymakers, and activist groups are raising questions about the role of the world’s largest asset manager in the energy transition.
Markets are pricing a world that may no longer exist
Markets are pricing a world that may no longer exist. Democratic institutions, designed for slower cycles and contained economies, are struggling to govern the complexity they now face. That failure, argues economist Jeannette von Wolfersdorff, is already shaping the conditions under which capital is allocated and regulated.
Investors are getting used to war. That worries Pieterse-Bloem.
The conflict in the Middle East hit financial markets less hard than expected. Rabobank strategist Mary Pieterse-Bloem sees in that not just relief, but a risk.
Heinzl takes helm at Quintet as cost pressure defines next phase
The new chief executive of Europe’s quietly ambitious private bank starts work this week. His profile suggests a fixer. The question is what he intends to fix.
Private equity shifts pressure to retail investors
Private equity’s model is coming under strain as exits slow, capital remains tied up, and investors are waiting longer for distributions. Rather than resolving these pressures, the industry is increasingly passing them on to individual investors, said Lucas Crasborn, chief investment officer at Optimix Vermogensbeheer, an independent wealth manager overseeing around 2.5 billion euros.
Asset owners push asset managers back into net zero alliance
Asset owners representing 3.7 trillion dollars in capital sent a clear message to their asset managers at the end of January: stay committed to net zero. Demand for climate strategies among institutional investors in Europe remains firmly intact.
Iran conflict hits Miran’s housing assumption
The conflict between the US and Iran is hitting the core of the Federal Reserve’s rate strategy. The one factor that was keeping rate cuts alive, falling housing costs, is now under pressure. Fed governor Stephen Miran’s bet that housing costs would keep falling fast enough to justify lower Fed rates is now being tested in the worst possible way.
New EU rules raise the bar for ESG rating providers
A sweeping new EU regulation for ESG rating providers is set to reshape a market that Morningstar Sustainalytics has helped build, consolidating a fragmented industry and raising the compliance bar significantly.
Eltif growth meets market reality
An Irish long-term investment fund has suspended redemptions after investor withdrawals exceeded its limits, marking the first gating event in the European market and exposing the structural tension at the heart of the product.