Raymond Frenken

The Luxembourg Private Equity Association hosted its Insights conference on fundraising and investor relations on Thursday. It became clear that, in order to remain competitive, Luxembourg needs to lower its minimum entry threshold for investors in private equity without waiting for new European Union AIFMD rules to emerge.

As real estate markets worldwide move in tandem by showing clear signs of a downturn, two major international financial bodies this week have reiterated their concerns over the housing market’s potential impact on financial stability. Both the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund have raised a red flag. Investment Officer looks for answers to some key questions a moment that mortgage rates are at their highest since 2006.

The European Securities and Markets Authority on Monday said it sees a need to create a common supervisory culture in the EU and believes that national financial supervisors need to intensify their horizontal, cross-border cooperation. It also acknowledged that it needs to improve its own cooperation with national supervisory bodies.

As fund managers and investors across the 27 countries in the European Union continue to question the union’s approach to its sustainable finance framework, Brussels has made clear it will take its time before addressing growing confusion over greenwashing. “Greenwashing remains to be defined at the EU level.”

The growing complexity of Europe’s sustainable finance framework and a lack of clear guidance from EU supervisors is leading to a fragmented application of the benchmark EU regulation that determines which investment funds are sustainable and which are not. As a result, the sector is facing what Morningstar’s top ESG expert calls “The Great Reclassification”.

For Zurich-based Serpentine Ventures, a venture asset manager, Luxembourg is a key gateway to reaching international investors. The firm is leveraging the grand duchy’s regime for alternative investment funds for four of its venture capital funds that nurture Swiss startups.

When it comes to sustainability, all actors, including the finance sector, need to develop a suitable level of understanding before policies and investment strategies can translate into impact, explains Nicoletta Centofanti, head of the Luxembourg Sustainable Finance Initiative, in an interview.

We’re finishing a productive week at Investment Officer Luxembourg in terms of news stories, with surprisingly strong and growing interest from international readers.

A solid return on investment and an acceptable level of risk remain the top factors for investors to consider when picking their investments, according to a new sustainable finance survey conducted among a representative section of the general public in Luxembourg.

Respect for human rights and the reputation of companies invested in are not seen as a leading factors for investors, said the survey, conducted among 1,100 people in April and May of this year.

The fund management industry can counter reputation risks posed by the increasingly complex regulatory requirements for sustainable investments with a bigger effort to boost investor education, a top executive at the Association of Luxembourg’s Fund Industry, Alfi, said on Tuesday.