Gerold Schmidt, directeur général de la filiale Ökorenta Service GmbH, a été nommé le 22 novembre membre du directoire d'Ökorenta AG (distribution de fonds ISR et gestion de fonds fermés) à compter du 1er janvier 2011. Il secondera ainsi Tjark Goldenstein, fondateur et unique membre du directoire, qui devient président du directoire et qui demeure responsable du marketing, de la distribution et des relations extérieures.
Avec effet au 1er janvier, Rudolf Apenbrink a été nommé président du comité exécutif de HSBC Global Asset Management (Deutschland) sous la responsabilité de Carola, comtesse von Schmettow, membre du directoire de HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt (global markets et asset management). De plus, il devient CEO des activités de la division global asset management du groupe HSBC pour l’Europe, le Moyen-Orient et l’Afrique.L’intéressé, qui a rejoint la banque en 1993, était depuis 2007 CEO Asia-Pacific de HSBC Global Asset Management (Hong Kong). HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt affiche actuellement 110,1 milliards d’euros d’actifs sous gestion ou administration.A noter d’autre part que Christiane Lindenschmidt vient d'être nommée chief technology and services officer de HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt, sous la responsabilité de Paul Hagen, membre du directoire chargé de la comptabilité, du contrôle de gestion, du personnel, du crédit, de l’exploitation, du business process development et de l’informatique. De plus, elle devient head of HSBC Securities Services Germany. Jusqu'à octobre 2010, Christiane Lindenschmidt était présidente du comité exécutif de la filiale de gestion d’actifs INKA Internationale Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH, dont elle devient membre du conseil de surveillance.
L’Association des Banquiers Privés Suisses (ABPS) a annoncé le 5 janvier la nomination de Nello Castelli en tant que secrétaire général adjoint de l’ABPS. «Au bénéfice d’une solide expérience dans les «public affairs», Nello Castelli se concentrera sur le suivi des dossiers politiques touchant la place financière au niveau fédéral», indique l’association dans un communiqué. Il assurera notamment les contacts avec les membres du Parlement. Pédagogue et juriste de formation, il participera également aux commissions et groupes de travail de l’Association suisse des banquiers dans les domaines de la politique et de l'économie.
Selon L’Agefi suisse, Morgan Stanley , qui a recruté l’an dernier 41 nouveaux collaborateurs, va poursuivre cette année sa campagne de recrutement. Avec entre 12 et 15 milliards de francs d’actifs sous gestion, pour 170 employés répartis entre Genève (une cinquantaine) et Zurich, la banque privée prépare parallèlement deux déménagements pour 2011. La succursale genevoise va prochainement quitter ses locaux de la place de la Fusterie pour emménager dans de nouveaux bureaux deux fois plus grands, toujours en centre-ville. A Zurich, le développement nécessitera de trouver de nouveaux locaux.
Les banques privées suisses, qui se sont longtemps contentées d’un siège au sein des grands centres financiers du pays, Zurich, Genève, Lugano ou Bâle, ont tendance à renforcer leur présence à proximité des frontières, rapporte L’Agefi suisse.Compte tenu de la dispersion de plus de en plus marquée de la clientèle sur tout le territoire, la proximité géographique et une meilleure visibilité sont devenues vitales. «Le choix des lieux d’implantation, généralement à proximité de la frontière reflète également l’attrait fiscal exercé par la Suisse sur la clientèle de l’UE», estime Daniel Senn, expert bancaire de KPMG.
Selon Hedgeweek, la société de gestion spécialisée dans les devises Insch Capital Management vient de déménager une bonne partie de ses activités de Lugano à Zug, où elle vient d’ouvrir de nouveaux bureaux. Les services de gestion de fortune et de gestion d’actifs seront notamment installés à Zug.Insch Quantrend, l’entité d’analyse et de recherche quantitative du groupe, restera à Lugano.
Selon l’Agefi qui cite une information du quotidien suisse TagesAnzeiger, JPMorgan a pour ambition de renforcer sa présence en Suisse, en particulier dans la banque privée à Genève, où 400 emplois pourraient être créés. D’ici fin 2012, selon la direction de JPMorgan Suisse, la banque privée pourrait compter 1.000 employés. A Zurich, au terme de la même période, elle doublerait ses effectifs - représentant actuellement soixante personnes.
Selon L’Agefi Suisse, Lloyd’s Private Banking, en phase de réduction de coûts depuis deux ans, va délocaliser l’intégralité de son back office, au centre de Genève, pour rejoindre de nouveaux locaux à proximité de Nyon. Le front office demeurera toutefois au bord du Léman. La délocalisation graduelle des fonctions de support devrait être achevée en 2012. «La délocalisation du back-office reste une bonne nouvelle pour la place financière lémanique, puisque c’est en terre vaudoise que ces activités vont se développer. L’attractivité naturelle de la place genevoise demeure pour le private banking, le négoce ou les hedge funds», estime Steve Bernard, de Genève Place Financière.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Planned IFRS accounting standards for rentals laid out by the architect of international accounting standards, the IASB, of which a final version is expected to be published in mid-2011, could include significant modifications on the rental market, according to a study by Deutsche Bank research published in mid-December. As a part of the accounting for rentals under IFRS standards, there will no longer be a distinction between simple and financial rentals. Lessors will sign a rental agreement which would require that the property not be listed as an asset on the balance sheet, and the tenants also agree to list payments on their balance sheet. Deutsche Bank Research says that the accounting changes could lead to a reduction in the number of transactions. It may also accentuate a trend by which contracts become shorter, which could lead to increased frequency of rental cycles.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } BaFin in early January issued a sales license for the Swiss Opportunity sub-fund of the Luxembourg Sicav UBS (Lux) Equity, managed by Stefan Bohren. The portfolio of the conviction-managed fund, launched on 16 November 2010, will include about 20 to 40 positions, with weightings of 2-7%.The fund will invest in a very different manner in the benchmark index, the Swiss Performance Index (SPI), in which Nestlé, Novartis and Roche weigh in at more than 50%. It will be diversified both in terms of sectors, with a current overweight position in industrials and an underweight position in health and consumer goods sectors and capitalisations, with more small and midcaps than in the SPI.The objective of the UBS Global AM fund is to generate outperformance of 400 basis points compared with the SPI over a complete market cycle.CharacteristicsName: UBS (Lux) Equity SICAV – Swiss OpportunityISIN codes: LU0546265769, share class in CHF; LU0546268359, share class in EURTER: 1.50%
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } As the SEC was notified on 30 April 2010, the New York-based firm Global X Funds (USD1bn in assets) on 5 January 2011 finally launched the first-ever aluminum ETF, the Global X Aluminum ETF (acronym ALUM), which is part of a range of seven ETFs announced in late April. It follows the Global X Copper Miners ETF.The new product replicates the Solactive Global Aluminum Index, which includes the most liquid shares in mining companies in the aluminium sector, of which the largest three are Rio Tinto, Alcoa and Norsk Hydro.Management commission is set at 0.69%.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } ProShares on Tuesday, 5 January announced the launch on NYSE Arca of two ETFs. The products offer exposure to the VIX index, which measures the volatility of the S&P 500. Management fees for the ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures fund (NYSE Arca VIXY code) and the VIX Mid-Term Futures (VIXM) total 0.85%
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The real estate investment fund management firm CB Richard Ellis on 5 January announced the sale of the Copernic II office building (30,300 m2) to SCPI Opera Rendement, managed by BNP Paribas Real Estate Investmnt Management (Reim), and the Cardif life insurance company as major shareholder. Copernic II had been held by the CB Richard Ellis Strategic Partners Europe Fund III, a pan-European investment fund managed by CBRE Invesrtors. Copernic II, inaugurated in June last year, is a certified High Quality Environmental (HQE) building, which carries a Very High Energy Performance (THPE) certification. The complex is located on the Boulevard du Mont d’Est in Noisy-Le-Grand (Marne-la-Vallée), in the center of the tertiary unit of the Eastern stretches of Paris. Copernic II is now 85% occupied.
Federal prosecutors can use secretly recorded telephone conversations of ex-Galleon Group employee Zvi Goffer and other defendants in the insider-trading case, a federal judge has ruled, The Wall Street Journal writes.Last month, another judge ruled that prosecutors can use recordings of thousands of talks by Galleon founder Raj Rajaratnam in his criminal trial.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } As a part of its struggle against discrimination and promoting diversity, BNP Paribas SA on 5 January announced the appointment of Bernard Villatoux as referent for professional equality. The group thus establishes a nationwide facility for examining individual cases of employees who claim that they have been discriminated against in their professional situation, and whose position is therefore not satisfied, at the discretion of the Human Resources office of the management firm concerned. Villatoux, who was appointed head of Individual Group Careers Management after the merger of BNP Paribas, in 2007 became head of the Human Recources Management, Leadership and Services Group. “The policy of BNP Paribas in relation to diversity within the business is a part of a global desire to play an important role in favour of insertion, equal opportunity and the struggle against all forms of discrimination,” BNP Paribas says in a statement. In France, BNP Paribas signed the Diversity Charter in 2004, and was one of the first seven French businesses to receive the Diversity label in 2009.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The French financial market authority AMF on 5 January announced the appointment of Patrick Parent as director of accounting affairs, effective 3 January. He succeeds Sophie Baranger, who becomes director of investigations and market surveillance at the AMF. Parent will represent the AMF in the College of the Authority for Accounting Standards (ANC), the High Council of the Account Commissariat (H3C) and in permanent groups which handle accounting standards and audit at ESMA and the OICV. Parent, who entered the COB in 2003, spent four years as director in charge of accounting doctrine. In that role he participated as OICV representative in meetings of the IFRS Interpretation Committee (formerly known as IFRIC, the committee in charge of interpretation of IFRS accounting standards, and the XBRL Advisory Council (XAC),
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Money Marketing reports that the affiliate of GAM Holding SA, Swiss & Global Asset Management, has appointed Keith Rumbelow and Hugo Wheeler as a part of its distribution team in the United Kingdom. Keith Rumbelow, who will take over as head of the London team, will concentrate his efforts on multi-managers, funds of funds, insurance companies, and wealth management firms. He was previously at Marlborough Fund Managers. Wheeler, previously of Highland Capital Partners, will promote the firm’s product range to British investors.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Gerold Schmidt, CEO of the affiliate Ökorenta Service GmbH, was on 22 November appointed a member of the board at Ökorenta AG (SRI fund distributor and closed fund manager), from 1 January 2011. He will assist Tjark Goldenstein, founder and sole member of the board, who becomes chairman of the board, and who will remain head of marketing, distribution and external relations.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } German specialised institutional investors (insurers, pension funds, etc.) as well as asset management firms surveyed by the Kommalpha agency of Hanover favour the same five promoters of retirement planning products. The order of the top two actors in the rankings has been reversed, with 53.9% of investors feeling that Allianz Global Investors (AGI) is the leading actor in this area, compared with 46.2% for DWS/DB Advisors (Deutsche Bank group), while 70.5% of providers place DWS/DB Advisors at the top, while only 53% vote for AGI. Clients and providers alike place Union Investment (co-operative banks), Fidelity and Deka (savings banks) next in the rankings.The survey, undertaken in September 2010 by Kommalpha, who spoke to 35 investors and 201 asset managers (management firms, banks, etc.), reveals that 48.5% of respondents estimate that they invest a lot to very much in retirement planning issues: in addition, 46.4% of managers, compared with 39.8% in 2009 say that they offer custom products, while 35.9% say they do not offer them. 9.9% of respondents say that they are planning to launch such products, compared with 21.8% in 2009.The study undertaken by the Hanover-based agency also reveals that institutional investors are betting largely on time savings retirement accounts and contractual trust agreements, while asset managers prefer corporate retirement savings plans and insurance portfolios.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } According to a non-representative online survey undertaken by Finanztest, a publication of the consumer protection foundation Stiftung Warentest, about 75% of 3,500 readers responding to the survey are of the opinion that promoters of Riester life insurance plans should immediately divest any shares in companies involved in the production of cluster bonds, which is forbidden by German criminal law since 1 August 2010.The Finanztest survey of promoters of Riester plans finds that 68 out of 86 banks surveyed have no comment on the subject, along with half of insurers.Of the 174 firms which responded to the survey, only 12 had taken measures to avoid such investments. They include Union Invesment (co-operative banks) and DWS (Deutsche Bank). Among insurers who do not allow investors investments of this type are Axa, Debeka, oecocapital and Zurich, as well as AachenMünchener et CosmosDirekt, two affiliates of Generali. Raiffeisenbank Rastede is also on the list. In addition, Ethikbank, the Bank für Kirche and Caritas also forbid any investment in weapons at all.Some management firms says that the do not invest in makers of cluster bombs, but are unable to provide proof of this.Surveys have found shares in makers of cluster-bombs in products from Deka (savings banks) and Allianz Global Investors (AGI). The first says that it decides on investments in shares on a case-by-case basis, while the second had no comment, adding that it no longer offers new Riester unit-linked retirement accounts.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } On 1 December, BBVA Asset Management launched two ETFs which inversely reproduce the evolution of the Ibex 35 (ES0105305009) and Markit iBoxx Eurozone 3-5 years Total Return (ES0142446006) indices. The new products were registered by the CNMV on 23 December, making it possible to play falling Spanish and Euro zone sovereign debt markets. They charge fees of 0.40% and 0.14%, respectively, in addition to which there is a depository banking commission of 0.05%. In both cases, tracking error is not to exceed 2%.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } On 30 December 2010, Popular Gestión registered the Eurovalor África y Oriente Medio fund, a Spanish Middle East/Africa/CIS equities fund, which will invest at lesat 75% of its assets in equities, and the remainder in bonds, with the CNMV. The prospectus for the fund states that it will invest up to 100% of its assets in investment funds. The recommended investment duration is 3-4 years.The fund has no benchmark or performance objective. The portfolio will be actively, dynamically and proactively managed, which will result in a high turnover.CharacteristicsName: Eurovalor África y Oriente MedioISIN code: ES0133444002Management commission: 1.35%Performance commission: 9%Minimal subscription: EUR600
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Cazenove Capital Management on 4 January announced its decision to reopen its Absolute UK Dynamic fund to new subscriptions. The fund, managed by Paul Marriage, was closed only one week after its launch in September 2009. The fund had then attracted GBP123m. The fund will have supplemental capacity of GBP60m. The fund has gained 5.5% since its launch, and is expected to earn returns of over 10% per year. As of 30 November 2010, assets under management at Cazenove totalled GBP4.2bn.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Henderson Global Investors is planning to merge its British and European opportunistic funds, Money Marketing reports. The British opportunistic fund with GBP87m in assets, will be integrated into the GBP327m British alpha fund, while the European opportunistic fund (GBP209m) will be merged into the GBP755m European growth fund. Henderson, which says that its mergers are subject to the approval of shareholders, will merge other funds as part of its strategy of rationalisation of the range.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } According to a survey by Fund Strategy, retail assets at the 96 largest fund management firms in Britain increased from GBP294bn at the beginning of 2010 to GBP353bn at the end of December, an increase of 20%, while the FTSE 100 index gained only 6%. The largest 30 management firms which scored particular success if they promoted top-rated aggressive equity or emerging market products under a well-known banner. However, only 13 of the 30 largest management firms posted a higher-than-average increase to their assets. Invesco Perpetual had only a 12% increase, despite having the most prominent equity income franchise int eh industry and one of the best names in bonds. The 13 fastest-growing management firms were First State, Investec, HSBC, Neptune, M&G, Fidelity, St James’s Place, Schroders, BlackRock, Axa, Aviva Investors, BNY Mellon and Capita.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Agefi Switzerland reports that Morgan Stanley, which last year recruited 41 new employees, will continue the campaign this year. With CHF12bn to CHF15bn in assets under management by 170 employees in Geneva (with 50) and Zurich, the private bank is also preparing two moves in 2011. The Geneva office will soon be moving from its location on the place de la Fusterie to a new office space twice as large, also located in the centre of Geneva. In Zurich, growth will also require a move to a larger space.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Agefi Switzerland reports that Lloyds Private Banking, which has been in a cost reduction phase for two years, will move all of its back office, now based in Geneva, to a new office location near Nyon. The front office will remain in Geneva. The gradual transfer of support functions will be completed in 2012. “The transfer of the back office remains good news for the financial markets in Geneva, as these activities will continue to develop in the French-speaking Swiss region. The natural attractiveness of the Geneva market remains for private banking, trading, and hedge funds,” says Steve Bernard, of Genève Place Financière.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Effective from 1 January, Rudolf Apenbrink has been appointed chairman of the executive board at HSBC Global Asset Management (Deutschland), where he will report to Carola, Countess von Schmettow, a member of the board at HSBC Trinkhaus & Burkhardt (global markets and asset management). In addition, he becomes CEO for the global asset management division of the HSBC group for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.Apenbrink, who joined the bank in 1993, was since 2007 CEO of Asia-Pacific at HSBC Global Asset Mangement (Hong Kong). HSBC Trinkhaus & Burkhardt currently has EUR110bn in assets under management or administration.Christiane Lindenschmidt has also recently been appointed chief technology and services officer at HSBC Trinkhaus & Burkhardt, where she will report to Paul Hagen, a member of the board in charge of accounting, controlling, personnel, credit, operation, business process development and IT. In addition, she also becomes head of HSBC Securities Services Germany. Until October 2010, Lindenschmidt was chairwoman of the executive board of the asset management affiliate INKA Internationale Kapitalanlagegeselleschaft mbH, where she becomes a member of the supervisory board.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Hedgeweek reports that the currencies specialist management firm Insch Capital Management has moved a large part of its activities to Lugano in Zug, where it has opened a new office. Wealth management and asset management services will also be moved to Zug. Insch Quantrend, the group’s quantitative and research analysis entity, will remain in Lugano.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } According to the estimates of Z-Ben Advisors,total assets in Chinese investment funds as of 31 December 2010 will total about CNY2.49trn, which represents a 4.49% increase over the end of September. This increase is largely due to market appreciation, with the CSI 300 index up 6.56% in fourth quarter.Not counting the impact of the traditional increase in assets in money market funds at the end of the year for window dressing purposes, assets probably fell by 0.98% in fourth quarter, due to redemptions from already established products, while new funds continued to attract new investments.For the year as a whole, assets under management fell by 6.58%, while net subscriptions to new funds (CNY310bn) were also more than offset by net outflows from existing products.The largest actor in the sector remains China AMC, with a market share of 9.01%, followed by Harvest (a partnership with Deutsche Bank), which accounts for 6.43%, and E-Fund, in third place with 5.83%. However, for the year, China AMC, an affiliate of Citic Securities, has seen a steep erosion of its market share, due to the regulator (CSRC) forbidding it until further notice from new product launches, until it has brought itself into compliance with the law (see Newsmanagers of 18 October).The three asset management firms which gained market share in 2010 were Haushang (1.17%), Harvest (0.57%), and Yinhua (0.63%).