Events

Inflation concerns continue to shape market predictions. “For three months, we witnessed impressive figures, but then oil prices spiked unexpectedly. This isn’t a fleeting issue,” commented Mary Pieterse-Bloem, chief investment officer of Rabobank, in the CIO Debate at Investment Officer’s 16th Fondsevent conference in the Netherlands on Monday.

In the world of technology and innovation, few names command as much respect as Geoffrey Hinton, often dubbed the “Godfather of AI.” However, recent remarks from this AI luminary have sparked a heated debate on the role of artificial intelligence in our society. Monday’s FondsEvent conference by Investment Officer delved into the heart of this debate.

In the face of market volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, a combination popularly referred to as ‘VUCA’, Ingo Mainert, CIO Multi Asset Europe at Allianz Global Investors, urges investors to embrace a fresh interpretation of VUCA: vision, understanding, clarity, and agility. 

This perspective came during his keynote speech at Wednesday’s ALFI Roadshow in Frankfurt, a gathering organised by Luxembourg’s 1700-member fund management trade association. The event provided a platform for industry experts to exchange insights on the investment climate and topics pertinent to Luxembourg, attracting roughly 300 delegates.

Investment businesses positioning themselves for a future shaped by artificial intelligence should maintain their focus on where they want it to be in the long term. And they should not be alarmed by the massive job losses that will stem from AI adoption. The global economy will be supported by productivity gains that the AI revolution will bring, easing the impact of an ageing workforce.

Investment Officer spoke to a range of actors in Luxembourg asset services and alternative investments universum during Alfi’s 2023 European Asset Management conference. This playlist brings all interviews together. It includes, among others, Silke Bernard at Linklaters, Micaela Forelli at M&G, Denis Harty at Waystone Luxembourg and Emmanuel Gutton at Alfi.

At this week’s Alfi European Asset Management Conference in Luxembourg, Emmanuel Gutton, Alfi’s director of legal and tax, spoke to Investment Officer’s Raymond Frenken for this edition of IO Talks Luxembourg. The topic: European Long Term Investment Funds, a new type of investment fund known as Eltifs that opens the door to private equity and alternatives to a wider group of investors, in particular wealth management clients and the “retail plus” segment. Luxembourg is keen to become a European ánd global hub for these funds.

As an international financial hub, Luxembourg is seen as well positioned to play a key role in talks about strengthening and financing the recovery of Ukraine’s economy once the war is over. A Luxembourg roundtable, scheduled for 22 February, will discuss Luxembourg’s potential role and seeks to create a number of expert-based working groups.  (Free to read)

When it comes to enhancing the economic value chain in terms of sustainability, net-zero and financing the energy transition, the private assets sector is well positioned as an actor that can help deliver the changes that are needed to keep growth sustainable, a Luxembourg panel on net-zero investments was told on Wednesday. 

The exact impact on private asset values of this year’s declines on global stock and bond markets has yet to be determined, but already some family offices are concerned about the shifts in their portfolios. “There are capital calls that have not been met,” a UBS banker told the Alfi conference on Tuesday.

Morningstar and Investment Officer Luxembourg invite you to join us online on Thursday 1 December 2022 at 15 CET for the “Good Practices in ESG Reporting” interactive online debate. 

A panel of sustainable finance experts from financial institutions and authorities in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg will debate good practices in ESG reporting for investors and asset managers.