Asset Servicing

The US government is preparing a shock therapy approach that amounts to a controlled demolition of the current system. The goal is to turn the United States into the global hub for digital currencies.

We are at the beginning of a fundamental transformation in wealth management. Financial decisions are increasingly being made by algorithms. Within just a few years, AI-driven applications will become the primary source of advice for retail investors, with usage expected to grow to 80 percent by 2028. This is not some distant vision of the future—it’s already happening.

Paris-based platform to distribute private market investments via Belgian private banks and family offices. The Paris-based platform Private Corner is making its first move outside of France, aiming to sell private market investments to wealthy Belgian investors through the distribution networks of private banks and family offices.

Family offices blur traditional financial roles. They are asset owners, asset managers, and wealth advisors simultaneously. Can the industry manage this complexity effectively?

Hiring freezes, automation, and a shrinking talent funnel point to a structural reset in America’s financial sector. One with growing implications for Europe.

Emerging markets extended their strong start to the year with another solid quarter. The Morningstar EM TME Index rose nearly 3 percent in Q2, outpacing the Morningstar Global TME Index, which gained 2.5 percent. As a result, emerging markets have now widened their outperformance over developed markets to nearly 4 percent year to date.

Large language models may seem brilliant at making predictions, but often it’s just memorization. And that has implications for investors relying on LLMs for economic analysis.

Luxembourg, long seen as the administrative engine of Europe’s fund industry, has evolved into a strategic global hub, with U.S. asset managers leading the charge. Firms like Blackrock, Invesco, and JPMorgan are anchoring cross-border operations in the Grand Duchy, turning it into a launchpad for global growth and highlighting America’s dominant role in shaping Europe’s financial future.

Each week, I think about which macro figure or market theme to explore in this column. Then, out of nowhere, another article pops up about that enormous elephant in the room: our debt-fueled economic system is creaking so loudly that it can’t be ignored.

A combination of increased volatility and ongoing political and economic uncertainty is pushing financial institutions in Europe and Asia toward bonds. Asset allocators at several hundred of these firms expect to significantly increase their allocation to the asset class.