Investment Officer Luxembourg

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is about to scrap the requirement for Scope-3 reporting. In doing so, the US stock market watchdog is driving a wedge between US legislation and the new European rules from the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, or CSRD that will apply from next year.

Services, not fees, are increasingly driving client decisions in wealth management and private banking, a leading US consultancy has concluded in its latest study of clients in the high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) market segments.

In the latest report from MSCI ESG Research, a nuanced picture emerges on the state of gender diversity within corporate boards. Despite a marginal uptick in the percentage of women directors, concerns loom over the slowing pace of change, according to the annual Women on Boards and Beyond report.

This week, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer will present the UK’s new budget. Since the September 2022 debacle, when Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s bizarre tax plan almost brought the UK’s pension and insurance system to the brink of collapse, the extra attention has been justified. In the end, the Bank of England had to intervene to “save the furniture”, as the Belgians say. This earned Liz Truss the dubious honour of the shortest-serving prime minister.

Tom Theobald has been been appointed to succeed Nicholas Mackel as the head Luxembourg for Finance, the country’s state-sponsored association that advocates for the interests of the grand duchy’s financial sector. He will take on the new role from 1 September.

The new European directive mandating corporate social responsibility for large companies has been blocked by the European Council as yet. Germany, Italy and France last week withdrew their support for the proposal they had agreed to as recently as December.

Morningstar has announced the finalists for the 2024 Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence Luxembourg. Twelve funds are nominated for a Morningstar Category Award, and six asset managers are shortlisted for a Morningstar Asset Manager Award.

The awards recognise those funds and asset managers that have served investors well over the long term and which Morningstar’s Manager Research team believes will be able to deliver competitive risk-adjusted returns over time.

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg accounts for 36% of UCITS assets globally, indicating numerous advantages to domiciling an investment fund here. However, as the investment landscape evolves, its competitiveness is diminishing, particularly in comparison to jurisdictions such as Ireland.