Raymond Frenken

The European Commission plans to stick to its plan to stop inducements for financial advisors, a proposal it recognises as “divisive” but one that is needed to build trust among investing consumers. “I think it’s good to grasp this nettle and to make change for the better,” said EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness.

A major shift in the Dutch retail investor market. Netherlands’ largest fund house Robeco decides to focus entirely on institutional and wholesale investors and, with pain in its heart, says goodbye to retail investors. With the takeover, Evi van Lanschot suddenly comes of age.

In one fell swoop, Evi, the retail arm of investment bank Van Lanschot Kempen, gains 125,000 new clients. That is a six-fold increase in the client base. Assets under management jump from 1.3 billion euros to six billion. 

Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management has been created as a new Luxembourg private banking hub following the merger of its troubled Luxembourg unit Fideuram Bank Luxembourg with Compagnie de Banque Privée Quilvest SA, which it took over last year.

The EU’s top financial markets authority on Thursday invited the European Commission to clarify new sustainability reporting requirements for European companies and to make its legislation for non-financial reporting standards more consistent with other pieces of EU legislation.

Boards of AIFMs, Alternative Investment Fund Managers, in Luxembourg are “heavily concerned” over potential greenwashing, a survey conducted by PWC Luxembourg on behalf of the Luxembourg corporate governance institute ILA said. 

Luxembourg’s fund industry has high hopes for Eltif 2.0, the revised European regime for long-term investment funds that is set to be approved next month by the European Parliament. Thanks to the updated rules, products like private funds can be targeted directly at retail investors in all 30 countries in the European Economic Area with one single AIFM passport.

When it comes to EU financial regulation it won’t surprise anyone to hear that more is in store for the year ahead. Investment Officer looks ahead together with Vincent Ingham, director of regulatory policy at the European Fund and Asset Management Association in Brussels.

Dublin-based international management company Waystone, a major actor also in the Luxembourg market, has added fund administration to its range of offerings now that its acquisition of Centaur Financial Services, also Dublin-based, has obtained regulatory approval and been completed.

Global financial services provider Apex Group is taking over Alfi Partners, a Luxembourg-based third-party fund marketing specialist, the firm announced today. Alfi Partners will become part of Apex FundRock, the largest third-party manager of investment funds in Luxembourg. Financial details were not disclosed.

“The UBS phase is over,” a Quintet banker told me last week.