Asset Servicing

The first half of the 2025 market year was turbulent. Investors quickly turned away from their optimism surrounding a second term for Donald Trump once his erratic and impulsive leadership came back into focus. That memory immediately stirred nervousness and uncertainty across equity markets.

A quiet power shift is underway in the European fund industry. Investors are increasingly gravitating towards larger Ucits vehicles, favouring scale, simplicity and cost-efficiency over specialisation and boutique appeal.

While Europe continues to attract investors seeking attractive valuations and macroeconomic stability, M&G sees a fundamental shift occurring in the US capital markets: 75 percent of credit growth is now taking place through the private market—a structural transformation that is only accelerating.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is preparing to launch a new range of Irish-domiciled active ETFs, but unlike many of its peers, the firm will oversee these funds from Luxembourg, not Dublin.

This week’s overview of appointments and people transfers includes updates from European fund and asset management association Efama, EY Luxembourg, LuxReal, and Sygnum Bank.

With traditional market dynamics breaking down and foreign holdings of U.S. assets at record highs, US fund houses Doubleline Capital and Pimco both warn that investors can no longer rely on the old dollar playbook.

2025 had barely begun when the euphoria of the previous year was gone for good. Geopolitical tensions, economic concerns and political conflicts dominate the financial markets—even if the stock markets have calmed down a little (at least for the time being) since the turbulent beginning of April. Super ManCo Universal Investment’s analysis shows how institutional investors are trying to cope with the new environment and which trends are evolving in their portfolios.

The tariffs announced by President Trump are accelerating an already ongoing reshoring trend. Companies are being forced to revise their strategies—and so are investors. Intermediaries stand to benefit, as do warehouse providers. According to Christoph Berger of DNCA (Luxembourg), investors would do well to focus on countries gaining ground in the reorganization of supply chains, but without letting import tariffs be their sole guide.

Morningstar this week compares Comgest to Carmignac as it highlights why strong culture, stability, and long-term focus define top-tier asset managers.

Robeco pioneers the use of agentic AI, as autonomous systems begin to disrupt how asset managers invest, decide, and execute.