Raymond Frenken

Appetite for Luxembourg life insurance products declined significantly last year, according to the annual reports that the two largest unit-linked insurance firms, Lombard International and OneLife, posted this week.

Worried about the protection of European investors, illiquid investments, and financial stability, Esma wants its table to be reinstated into the Eltif standards rulebook, although with some significant modifications.  

As home to investors and companies that prefer the allure of American markets over their domestic counterparts, the European Union has arrived at a crossroads. A window of opportunity has arrived for creating a new framework that supports efficient capital markets, creating growth and jobs and enabling retail investors and pension savers meet their long-term financial needs.

Paris-based Oddo BHF Asset Management has announced the launch its first European Long-Term Investment Fund. The fund is called the Oddo BHF Commit for Tomorrow Eltif and will be domiciled in Luxembourg, targeting clients keen to commit to long-term financing companies that provide energy storage and water treatment solutions.

Luxembourg’s Commissariat aux Assurances (CAA) slapped Lombard International Assurance with a record 1.68 million euro fine for lapses in its anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) controls. This enforcement action underscores the regulator’s stringent stance on compliance in the financial sector.

Apex Group on Wednesday claimed to have become the first fund administrator to utilise blockchain technology as a book of record. It will leverage blockchain technology to service the 3.7 billion euro Hamilton Lane Global Private Assets fund.

A significant portion of financial influencers, commonly known as finfluencers, has been found to neglect proper disclosure practices when promoting products or services, according to a study conducted by the CFA Institute. The institute is now calling on investment firms that engage with these finfluencers for promotional activities to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring compliance through adequate training.

• Cocoa prices soar; shortage from weather, disease impacts
• Record deficit, over-sold futures cause price spikes
• Stabilisation attempts; high prices challenge producers, buyers

The cocoa market is reeling. Failing harvests are sending futures prices vertically upwards, and a solution seems far away. Daredevils looking to get in now are taking the risk of investing in a derailed market. 

Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management firm, on Tuesday addressed investors in his annual letter, focusing on three main issues: the need to reshape the pension and retirement system, the national debt crisis, and the imperative for sustainable investments.

Despite explicitly avoiding the term “ESG”, Fink emphasised the need for investments that consider the environmental impact, albeit through a pragmatic lens that balances decarbonisation with energy security.

From Paris, Natixis Investment Managers champions active management against passive giants like BlackRock and Vanguard, despite criticism over missed passive investing opportunities.