Investment Officer Luxembourg

Ireland has marked a significant milestone by registering its first three European Long-Term Investment Funds (Eltifs) under the revamped European framework, the Dublin-based national financial supervisor has told Investment Officer Luxembourg.

This week’s overview of transfers, appointments, promotions and other people news includes updates from the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, EFG Bank, Edmond de Rothschild, UEL and Mapfre.

Laetitia Hamon

Laetitia Hamon (photo), head of sustainable finance at the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, or LuxSE, has been appointed as member of the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on scaling up sustainable finance in low and middle-income countries.

After a two-year hiatus, the IPO market is showing signs of life, with private equity firms seizing the opportunity to take their portfolio companies public.

For years, it was taboo for funds to put money into arms manufacturers. Now, with the focus shifting to the protection weapons provide rather than the damage they cause, they are coming back into the picture as an investment. Asset managers fear being left behind in the market otherwise.

The Norwegian parliament is poised to debate the merits and drawbacks of incorporating private equity investments into the country’s mammoth 1,490 billion euro sovereign wealth fund, the largest globally. The government is hesitant about unlisted funds, despite previous recommendations from Norges Bank, the country’s central bank which manages the national oil fund.

I devour every speech and interview given by ECB board members, relishing each word. Yet, despite my enthusiasm, Christine Lagarde’s turns at the podium often leave me cold. Her discussions frequently veer away from monetary policy, straying into territories like climate change and other non-financial realms, seldom touching on the critical issue of money growth—a topic history deems crucial.

Steffen Pauls led KKR in Germany for over eleven years before becoming CEO of Moonfare. In 2015, he left the American investment company with a new goal: making private markets accessible to individuals. He understands all too well this target group sometimes has ethical concerns regarding this sector.