LPEA

Luxembourg’s finance minister, Gilles Roth, has outlined plans to reform the country’s profit-sharing bonus regime and expat tax policies to enhance its attractiveness to international talent.

Amid the sustained growth of Luxembourg’s private markets, propelled by ongoing onshoring and the growing acknowledgment of its robust legal frameworks, Investment Officer sat down for a conversation with Claus Mansfeldt, president of the Luxembourg Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (LPEA).

Geopolitical uncertainty, rising interest rates, more stringent sustainability requirements, modernisation of the regulatory environment, democratisation of private equity, and pressure on costs and margins are expected to shape the next twelve months in the grand duchy’s financial system. Camille Thommes, Nicolas Mackel, Jerry Grbic, Stephane Pesch, Nicoletta Centofanti and others told IO what they expect in the new year.

Luxembourg’s international status as a hub for alternative investments and private equity this year was reinforced as institutional investors sought stability as global equity and bond markets were taking a beating by surging inflation and rising interest rates.

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.

Family wealth managers are more and more challenged by demands placed on them by digitalisation, increasingly stringent regulations and complex cross-border taxation requirements. It’s an environment that encourages some wealthy families to join forces with others and enter their investments into a Multi-Family Office business, moving away from the traditional single-family office. “It’s the correct answer to the market.”

Is private equity, like Amundi’s Chief Investment Officer Vincent Mortier recently said, a Ponzi scheme? Or is there another reason to fear this asset class?

Luxembourg’s private equity business has experienced a boom in recent years as the Grand Duchy’s improved regime for alternative investments helped it benefit from strong growth in global private markets. For professional investors - family offices and pension funds alike - private markets have become an important asset class.

Shareholders of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange on Wednesday appointed Alain Kinch as chairman of is board of directors. Kinsch succeed Frank Wagener, who served as LuxSE’s chair since 2011 and who is retiring.

Kinsch serves on the board of several national and international companies as an independent director and is vice-president of the Luxembourg State Council. He is known for his earlier work at EY, where he was the country managing partner of EY Luxembourg from 2009 to 2020. 

On 1 September 2020, Rajaa Mekouar will leave her CEO functions at LPEA, the Luxembourg Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, to fully focus on her PE/VC Head and Portfolio Manager functions. She will be succeeded by Stephane Pesch, who has served as the LPEA’s Director of Strategy since October 2019.