Investment Officer Luxembourg

This week’s overview of transfers, appointments, promotions and other people news includes updates from MFS, Candriam, TMF and Eiopa.

Nicolas Mackel, currently serving as the ceo of Luxembourg for Finance, is preparing to assume a new role as Luxembourg’s permanent representative to the European Union in Brussels. 

According to Luxemburger Wort and RTL, Mackel’s transition from the financial sector to a diplomatic post is expected to occur in September, marking his return to the international diplomatic arena.

Expecting firms covered by DORA to possess the skills, time, and capacity to function as ICT experts is yet another regulatory demand that offers little in terms of investor protection. The added layers of control imposed on investment firms are poised to escalate costs far more than they bolster safeguards.

Tokenisation is the next step for the asset management industry. So says not only Larry Fink, Blackrock’s CEO, but also Jeroen van Oerle, manager of Lombard Odier’s fintech strategy. He sees the potential impact mainly in private markets.

Switzerland is preparing to step up competition with Luxembourg as a fund domicile for alternative investment funds. The industry, however, is not convinced that the Swiss alternative can fully match the international success of Luxembourg Raifs.

From next month, the Swiss will allow management companies to create a new type of fund known as L-QIF that will compete with the successful regime for Reserved Alternative Investment Funds, or Raifs, first made possible in the Grand Duchy in 2016.

The economies of the Euro area and the US often move in tandem due to their similar structures and deep economic connections. However, divergences occur, notably during asymmetric shocks like the Euro crisis of 2011-2013.

A global effort to strengthen the international tax process to make it more fully inclusive and more effective is garnering worldwide support. The OECD? No. Many advocates of this tax reform project are less than impressed by the OECD’s accomplishments to date, with some mocking its “low” 15% global minimum. It is happening at the United Nations, and votes from supportive countries, including certain tax havens and the Russian Federation, have given it a certain momentum.

It’s fascinating to observe central bankers like Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell outside their usual realm, especially on platforms like CBS’s “60 Minutes.” Powell’s candid admission about the US being on an unsustainable fiscal path is a concern is shared by many investors, including myself, particularly regarding the sustainability of mounting debt used to stimulate economic growth.