BaFin and the FMA have issued sales licenses for Germany and Austria, respectively, to the Templeton Africa Fund (LU0744128314), a sub-fund of the Luxembourg Sicav Franklin Templeton Investment Funds (FTIF). The fund is managed by Mark Mobius (see Newsmanagers of 24 April), with the assistance of Carlos von Hardenberg.The US asset management firm currently has assets of USD900m invested in 57 African companies.

The CNMV has registered the bond fund Allianz Enhanced Fixed Income IT from Allianz Global Investors, which received a sales license in several other European countries on 6 March, Funds People reports. The portfolio is invested in euro zone government bonds, and uses the JP Morgan EMU Government Bond Investment Grade 1-10 years as a benchmark index, but may invest up to 20% of its assets in high yield.

According to Fondsprofessionell, the British firm ETF Securities has recruited Peter Lidblom as head of Nordic, to direct distribution of products from the group in Scandinavia. He had previously been head of distribution to institutional investors, banks and corporate treasurers in the same region for NSBO Ltd.

A survey undertaken by Union Investment of 106 German institutional investors with more than EUR900m in assets finds that 83% of respondents say safety is the most important investment criterion. This is the highest level to say so since the beginning of the crisis in 2009. 92% of respondents say that avoiding losses is “important” or “very important.”Bonds remain the top asset class, with 46% of portfolios, compared with 74% last year, while money market instruments have gained ground, to 23%, compared with 11%, and exposure to equities has fallen to 7%, from 9% one year ago. Meanwhile, the need for safety appears to have been the reason for a tripling in exposure to real estate in one year, to 15%.

The Swiss Life Best Select brand name will soon substitute for that of the German financial services provider AWD, founded in 1998 by Carsten Maschmeyer, Der Spiegel reports. At Swiss Life, the reports have been dismissed as “pure speculation.“

German-based Allianz on 29 October published in advance partial results for third quarter. Its operating profits totalled EUR2.5bn in third quarter, compared with EUR1.9bn in July -September 2011. Its net profits have risen to EUR1.4bn from EUR258m. All business lines within the group contributed to this improvement in results, but particularly asset management, Alianz stresses.In these conditions, Allianz is revising its operating profit projections for 2012 upward, to EUR9bn, from a range of EUR7.7-8.7bn previously, compared with EUR7.86bn in 2011.Complete figures for the quarter will be published as scheduled on 9 November.

On 30 October, Deutsche Bank announced a pre-tax profit for third quarter of EUR64m for its Asset & Wealth Management (AWM) division, compared with EUR186m in the corresponding period of last year, largely due to a restructuring charge of EUR90m. Net inflows to wealth management more than offset net redemptions from asset management.Groupwide, profits in July-September totalled EUR755m, compared with EUR661m in second quarter, and EUR777m in the corresponding period of last year. In the first three quarters of 2012, net profits at Deutsche Bank are down to EUR2.818bn, compared with EUR4.140bn.

AXA Investment Managers (Axa IM) is giving a breath of fresh air to its Global Flex range. The AXA WF Force 5 and AXA WF Force 8 funds have new names: AXA World Funds Global Flex 50 and AXA World Funds Global Flex 100. AXA World Funds Global Flex 50 has 50% of its portfolio invested in assets which are considered “prudent,” such as fixed income, while the other 50% will be invested in equities or commodities. AXA World Funds Global Flex 100 is aimed at investors who accept a higher level of risk. Exposure to equities will vary from 50% to 100%, while the remainder will be invested in fixed income.

Amundi complète et renforce sa gamme de fonds volatilité avec le lancement d’Amundi Funds Absolute Volatility Arbitrage Plus. Conforme aux normes UCITS IV, ce compartiment appartient à la SICAV luxembourgeoise Amundi Funds. Le nouveau compartiment vise une performance annuelle supérieure à l’EONIA capitalisé de +4% par an, sur une durée minimale d’investissement de 3 ans et avec un budget de risque maximum de VaR8%, précise Amundi dans un communiqué.Amundi Funds Absolute Volatility Arbitrage Plus est géré par une équipe de gestion composée de 9 professionnels, bénéficiant d’une expérience de plus de 12 ans dans la gestion de volatilité. Les stratégies de volatilité gérées par Amundi représentent un encours de 6.8 milliards d’euros à fin septembre 2012. Cette gamme se compose de plusieurs compartiments UCITS IV de droit luxembourgeois : Amundi Funds Absolute Volatility Arbitrage (le budget de risque prédéfini est de VaR4%), Amundi Funds Absolute Volatility Euro Equities et Amundi Funds Absolute Volatility World Equities. Caractéristiques techniques - Amundi Funds Absolute Volatility Arbitrage Plus Classe d’action(s)1 AE (Tous investisseurs) IE (Institutionnels) SE (Distributeurs) Société de gestion Amundi Luxembourg S.A. Gestionnaire en investissement Amundi Banque dépositaire CACEIS Bank Luxembourg SA Pays d’enregistrement Autriche, Belgique (AHG, AE (C/D)), Finlande, France, Allemagne, Grèce, Italie (IE (C/D), ME, SE, FE), Irlande, Pays-Bas, Norvège, Espagne ( IE (C/D), ME, OE, SE, AE (C/D), FE), Suède, Suisse, UK Devise de référence du compartiment EUR Devise de référence de la classe EUR EFC (Classification européenne des fonds d’investissement) Rendement absolu Catégorie(s) d’actions Capitalisation/Distribution Capitalisation Codes ISIN C : LU0722566899 D : LU0722566972 C : LU0722567194 D : LU0722567277 C : LU0722567350 Investissement initial minimum Néant Equivalent en EUR de 500 000 USD Néant Périodicité de calcul de la VNI Quotidienne Délais d’opération Chaque Jour d’Opérations avant 14h00, heure de Luxembourg Commission de souscription maximum 4.50% 2.50% 3.00% Commission de gestion annuelle maximum 1.00% 0.70% 1.20% Commission d’administration annuelle maximale 0.30% 0.10% 0.30% Commission de performance 15% de la performance cumulée au-delà de l’EONIA Commission de conversion maximale 1%

The Basel Committee on banking controls on 29 October published a report on the implementation of Basel III by its member jurisdictions (Report to finance ministers and governors of central banks of the G20). The report will be examined at a meeting of ministers and governors of central banks of the G20, which will be held in Mexico on 4 and 5 November.

Investments by wealth management specialists in information technologies (IT) are expected to increase by 4.3% next year, to USD1.97bn, compared with an increase of 7.5% in 2012, according to estimates from the specialist consulting firm Celent.However, investments in North America are expected to increase 6.9% in 2013, to USD1.8bn. The same trend is expected in Asia, where IT investments are expected to increase by 10% next year, with an annual increase of 8% over the next five years, to a total of USD1.08bn in 2016. According to Celent, 55% of investments worldwide are dedicated to the front office.Global investments in information technologies are expected to total USD4.4bn in 2012, to then increase to 6.4% in 2013, to USD4.7bn. By 2016, total investments are expected to total USD5.7bn.Europe still represents 43% of total investments in wealth management, compared with 39% in the United States, while the Asia-Pacific region is still far behind with an 18% share of investment, at slightly under USD800m.

The Swiss asset management firm Picard Angst has announced the launch of a new energies and metals index, which will equally weight Brent, WTI, heating oil, gasoline, aluminium, nickel, gold, silver and platinum at 10% each. The index will be used as a benchmark for the new Picard Angst Energy & Metal Fund, which uses a strategy similar to that of the Pictet Angst All Commodity Tracker Plus (which has already attracted assets of USD700m).The Swiss-registered institutional fund (CH0190273505) is available with a minimum investment of CHF1m, EUR1m, or USD1m, The TER is 1.07%. The management team combines the futures curve with tactical investments.

Two analysts at Citigroup have been fired for releasing information to the media, Les Echos reports. Posts on Facebook were sent to journalists. Regulators are looking into communications with other banks.

The global leader in water, Veolia Environnement, on 29 October called on the French financial market regulator, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) to open an investigation into “dissemination of false information,” following a report in the press claiming that it was planning to increase its capital to at least EUR1bn. “Baseless information has been disseminated since 26 October suggesting that Veolia Environnement is planning to increase its capital by at least EUR1bn. In reaction, Veolia Environnement denies that it is planning a capital increase,” the group says in a statement. “Veolia Environnement has asked the Autorité des marchés financiers to open an investigation into this dissemination of false information,” it says.

The private equity group Blackstone is planning to scale up its presence in the Asian region, the head of the firm, Stephen Schwarzmann, has announced, Asian Investor reports. Blackstone would like to develop its activities in real estate and financing for new hedge funds, Schwarzmann says. Since the beginning of the year, staff at Blackstone in the region have risen 20% to 191 employees.

Sturgeon Capital has announced the launch of the Sturgeon Central Asia Equities Fund, a UCITS-compliant hedge fund which will invest in equities with a strong exposure to central Asia, Hedgeweek reports. Lemanik Asset Management will be responsible for managing portfolio risks.

The carbon trading exchange BlueNext, co-founded by NYSE Euronext and the Caisse des Dépôts in 2007, is in its final days, Les Echos reports. BlueNext will finally close its doors on 5 December, as the operator has not received permission to manage auctions of carbon emission quotas in the European Union from next year.

BNP Paribas Securities Services will be launching a range of clearing, settlement and custody services in the United States for all major asset classes listed on NYSE Euronext and Nasdaq OMX, Investment Europe reports.

The Edmond de Rothschild group will be laying off 66 people, out of a total of 1,000 Les Echos reports. This is the first time that a plan on this scale has been put in place by the group in France. “It will be accompanied by a job protection plan and voluntary departures, which began on 13 October, and are expected to conclude on 31 December,” a source close to the group says. Labour unions were consulted, and all offered a negative opinion. The restructuring is the result of a refocusing of activities at the gorup on the asset management and private banking professions. The firm on 13 July made the merger of its two major asset management affiliates, Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management (EdRAM) and Edmond de Rothschild Investment Managers (EdRIM) official. The merger will be completed on 1 December.

The ETF provider WisdomTree Investments has announced net profits for third quarter of USD4.53m, compared with USD0.13 in April-June, and USD1.36m in the corresponding period of last year.As of 30 September, ETF assets at WisdomTree totalled USD16.783bn, compared with USD15.004bn as of the end of June, and USD11.184bn one year previously. Net subscriptions totalled USD1.036bn in July-September, compared with USD338m in second quarter.

Selon nos informations, le rapprochement entre les deux sociétés de gestion Edram et Edrim du groupe Edmond de Rothschild va conduire à la suppression de soixante-six postes. Edrim subirait un plus grand nombre de licenciements que Edram - de l’ordre de deux ou trois postes. Les intéressés auraient reçu un courrier les informant à la mi-octobre, des lettres ayant été également envoyées à des salariés les informant du lancement d’un plan de départs volontaires.

Dans le projet de rapprochement de sa filiale Fongepar avec Inter Expansion, celle du groupe de protection sociale Humanis, CNP Assurances ne détiendrait qu’une minorité de blocage dans le nouvel ensemble, rapporte L’Agefi. Le rapport de force est plus favorable à son partenaire, qui gère un milliard de plus que Fongepar (2,5 milliards d’euros). Le rapprochement des deux filiales espéré au 1er juillet 2013 donnerait naissance au cinquième acteur sur le marché de l'épargne salariale. Ce dernier est pénalisé par les arbitrages fiscaux depuis plusieurs années, ce qui accroit l’exigence de taille critique. Et ce d’autant que Fongepar a vu ses encours baisser de 20% depuis fin 2010.

La Bourse du carbone, cofondée par Nyse Euronext et la Caisse des Dépôts en 2007, connaît ses derniers jours d’existence, rapporte Les Echos. BlueNext fermera ses portes définitivement le 5 décembre, alors que l’opérateur n’a pas obtenu le feu vert pour gérer la vente aux enchères de quotas de CO2 de l’Union européenne, à partir de l’année prochaine.

D’après Fondsprofessionell, le britannique ETF Securities a recruté Peter Lidblom comme head of Nordic pour diriger la distribution des produits du groupe en Scandinavie. Il était auparavant responsable de la distribution auprès des investisseurs institutionnels, des banques et des trésoriers d’entreprise dans cette même région pour NSBO Ltd.

AXA Investment Managers (Axa IM) donne un nouveau souffle à sa gamme Global Flex. Les fonds AXA WF Force 5 et AXA WF Force 8 ont de nouveaux noms : AXA World Funds Global Flex 50 et AXA World Funds Global Flex 100. AXA World Funds Global Flex 50 est investi à 50 % du portefeuille dans des actifs dits «prudents» tels que le fixed income, alors que les autres 50 % seront investis dans les actions ou les matières premières. AXA World Funds Global Flex 100 s’adresse à des investisseurs acceptant un risque plus important. L’exposition aux actions varie entre 50 % et 100 %, le solde étant investi en fixed income.

Société Générale Mid Cap Investment Banking et Gilbert Dupont annoncent un accord de coopération dans le domaine des marchés de capitaux pour les clients PME de la SocGen dont la valorisation ou la capitalisation boursière est inférieure à 200 millions d’euros - hors secteurs technologie et biotech/medtech. Les opérations visées sont les introductions en Bourse, les augmentations de capital, les placements secondaires de titres ou encore les émissions d’obligations convertibles.Société Générale Mid Cap Investment Banking assurera la structuration des opérations, tandis que Gilbert Dupont en assurera la distribution.

Société Générale Securities Services (SGSS) a annoncé hier avoir été mandaté par Swiss Life Asset Management pour fournir une large gamme de services titres pour 60 fonds représentant 5,5 milliards d’actifs sous gestion. SGSS va offrir des services d’administration de fonds et de prêt-emprunt de titres pour des fonds français, et des services de domiciliation, de conservation, d’administration et de distribution de fonds, ainsi que de prêt-emprunt de titres pour des fonds luxembourgeois.

Le groupe Edmond de Rothschild va supprimer 66 postes sur un total de 1.000, rapporte Les Echos. C’est la première fois qu’un plan d’une telle ampleur est mis en place dans le groupe en France. «Il s’accompagne d’un plan de sauvegarde de l’emploi et d’un plan de départs volontaires qui ont débuté le 13 octobre et doivent se terminer le 31 décembre», indique une source proche du groupe. Les organisations syndicales ont déjà été consultées et ont toutes rendu un avis négatif. Cette restructuration est le fruit du recentrage des activités du groupe dans les métiers de gestion d’actifs et de banque privée. L'établissement a en effet officialisé le 13 juillet la fusion de ses deux principales filiales de gestion, Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management (EdRAM) et Edmond de Rothschild Investment Managers (EdRIM). Laquelle devrait être effective le 1er décembre.

Le promoteur d’ETF WisdomTree Investments a déclaré pour le troisième trimestre un bénéfice net de 4,53 millions de dollars contre 0,13 million pour avril-juin et 1,36 million pour la période correspondante de l’an dernier.Au 30 septembre, l’encours des ETF de WisdomTree se situait à 16.783 millions de dollars contre 15.004 millions fin juin et 11.184 millions un an auparavant. Les souscriptions nettes se sont montées à 1.036 millions de dollars en juillet-septembre contre 338 millions pour le deuxième trimestre.

Doublon