Sector

In a dawn raid on Friday, Luxembourg judicial authorities searched for documents of two holding companies controlled by US hedge fund Elliott Management in relation to last year’s 1.2 billion euro sale of Italian football club AC Milan. Although it has formally closed, the sale is still contested by a third Luxembourg holding company, Blue Skye Financial Partners, which owned a small minority stake in AC Milan and which claims it has fallen victim to fraud under Luxembourg law.

The focus on sustainable investing has faded somewhat, with the drumbeat of crisis after crisis recently, and now problems with banks in Switzerland and the United States grabbing the headlines. But listen to anyone focussed on the climate for long and you’ll realise that however bad things are now, it will get much worse. Large investment firms are developing impact investing projects and reaching for the next level in ESG – maintaining biodiversity.

As Investment Officer knowledge partner, Universal-Investment’s Luxembourg country head Sofia Harrschar argues that reforming the EU regulation on social security would be in the interest of Luxembourg’s financial services sector and the many thousands that it employs. The industry meanwhile, needs to adapt quickly, look across the border and develop new ways of working.

Total interest income at Luxembourg’s 120 credit institutions last year surged 39 percent as most banks were able to boost their margins from borrowing and lending activities on the back of higher central bank interest rates, according to data posted by financial supervisor CSSF. The supervisor also said, like last year, that 23 banks in the grand duchy were not profitable.

Luxembourg’s top supervisor for investment funds on Wednesday assured the country’s fund management community, describing the sector as “very robust” and speaking about “quite normal” levels of volatility, even though it is not fully immune to the liquidity issues that have rocked global financial markets in recent weeks.

Apps and online investment services have led to a new type of consumer behaviour. Bank runs go viral, introducing a new type of liquidity risk for banks and investment services. The ECB warns the threat may not be ignored.

So-called AT1 bonds, also known as CoCos, were in focus on Monday as shares of European banks showed significant declines in the wake of the rescue of Credit Suisse engineered by Swiss authorities by merging it with UBS. 

UBS is acquiring industry peer Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs. They will pay 0.76 Swiss francs in UBS shares. The opening offer was initially 0.25 Swiss francs per share. As recently as Friday, Credit Suisse closed at a closing price of 1.86 Swiss francs, representing a market capitalisation of 7.3 billion Swiss francs. The combined entity will become Europe’s largest Globally Systemically Important Bank, also known as a G-SIB.

Negative global market sentiment against Swiss bank Credit Suisse meant Europe’s banking sector was under fire again on Wednesday, leading up to a evening statement by Swiss supervisors saying that they will commit liquidity to the bank.  The bank then said it plans to move swiftly to create “a smaller and more focused bank”.

“If necessary, the SNB will provide CS with liquidity,” the Swiss National Bank and regulator Finma said last night. 

Europe’s biggest asset manager Amundi on Tuesday said it does not believe that the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the ensuing US banking crisis is an event that poses a systemic threat.

In a note to investors, Amundi’s top investment team, including Monica Defend (photo), Vincent Mortier and Matteo Germano, noted that the European banking sector “is in far better shape” than in the 2008 financial crisis. Nevertheless, they urged investors to watch out for areas of vulnerability.