P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } The Swiss bankers’ association (ASB) has appointed Peter Grünblatt to coordinate its Asset Management initiative, the association announced on 11 March.The project aims to improve overarching conditions in asset management, a sector which the ASB considers capital to the Swiss financial market.Grünblatt, 51, has served since 2001 in positinos of responsibility in the area of investment products at Credit Suisse, including the affiliate Banque Leu, which later became Clariden Leu, a statement from the ASB says.In a 20-page document, the association lays out the top objectives for the asset management sector, which has developed less in recent year than rival centres in London and New York. The reason given for this observtion is that “external” factors are affecting the legal and fiscal framework, which is less competitive, as well as “internal” factors such as a lack of promotion of asset management as a Swiss brand in and of itself.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } Vontobel is this week launching an online platform for external asset managers (EAM), according to the website finews. The new resource, entitled Vontobel EAMNet, will be available to all external asset managers with a cooperation agreement with Vontobel. Users will have access to all updated research from Vontobel. Vontobel will compete with Credit Suisse, which has recently announced that it plans to launch an online platform of the same type in the next few weeks for external asset managers (Newsmanagers of 19 February 2013).
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } US firms such as Pimco, Franklin Templeton and BlackRock were the asset management firms to post the largest inflows in Europe in the past 10 years (excluding money markets and ETFs). Pimco has posted average annual subscriptoins of USD8.668bn over the decade, ahead of Franklin Templeton (EUR7.824bn) and BlackRock (EUR7.797bn). Jn fourth place is one of the only French firms in the top 25, Axa, with EUR5.386bn. The other French firm is Carmignac, which is in sixth place (after M&G), with average annual subscriptions of EUR4.053bn. Lipper notes that the 20 firms in the rankings of best-sellers over the past decade have a different profile. There are independent firms, private banks and affilates of banks.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } MEP Sharon Bowles has proposed an amendment to the Prips directive on sales of retail investment products, which would create an online resource to allow investors to better estimate the value of their funds, after fees and commissions, Money Marketing reports. Bowles, chairwoman of the economic and monetary affairs commission of the European Parliament, took the initiative with the amendment after being approached by the pressure group True and Fair Campaign, which militates for transparency of fund fees and commissions. A resource of this type already exists in the United States, and there are plans to make one available on the website of the European Securities Markets Association (ESMA)
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } Handelsblatt reports that the sale of BHF-Bank by Deutsche Bank to RHJ International (Kleinwort Benson), concluded in September 2012, has still not received approval from BaFin. This is due to the fact that the German regulator has yet to review the financials not onfly for the Kleinwort Benson group alone, but also for the buyers associated with the deal, BlackRock, the billionaire Stefan Quandt and the Chinese conglomerate Fosun. BaFin has confirmed that it is not yet in possession of all the required documents. However, permission is expected in April or May.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } Beltrán Parages, head of sales at Bestinver (Acciona group) has announced in Funds People that the asset management firm in the long term is planning to manage more assets in its pension funds than in its investment funds, as pension funds are a better match with the firm’s management style, which is oriented to the long term and to regular subscriptions.Currently, Bestinver, led by Francisco García Paramés, has EUR6.3bn in assets under management, of which EUR3.7bn are in investment funds, and EUR65-m in pension funds, plus EUR400m in the Luxembourg Sicav, and the remainder in mandates.Bestinver manages three individual pension funds (Global Ahorro and Previsión), in addition to a platform for corporate plans and two EPSVs, special pension funds for the Basque country.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } Funds People has announced that Alberto Roldán, head of research and strategy at Inverseguros, is joining Lloyds Investments España as chief investment officer, succeeding Benito del Rincón, who has been appointed as CEO, replacing José María Sáez Matesanz.Lloyds Investments España manages four investment funds, with total assets of EUR97m, as well as a Sicav.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } On 11 March, Aberdeen Asset Management (GBP193bn as of the end of December) released a British-registered OEIC fund, the Aberdeen Strategic Bond Fund, which is managed with a bottom-up, bond-picking style by the team led by Oliver Boulind, head of global credit & global high yield.The portfolio will be invested worldwide in investment-grade and/or speculative debt instruments, and bonds from governments, corporations, government agencies and supranational organisations. Asset allocation will be dynamic.Management commission is 0.5%, and minimal subscription is GBP500.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } Total British wealth management assets set a record at GBP527bn in fourth quarter 2012, despite concerns about RDR regulations, which might have slowed inflows, according to statistics from ComPeer, reported by Investment Week. Inflows rose 9.2% in fourth quarter compared with the end of December 2011, and 3% compared with third quarter 2012. The average asset manager succeeded in reducing its costs by 3%, which may be surprising given the increases in spending related to the introduction og RDR regulations on 1 January.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } Investment Week reports that Threadneedle is preparing to partially close the Pan-European Smaller Companies Fund, managed by Philip Dicken, with assets which have risen from EUR500m in early 2012 to EUR1bn currently, to subscriptions.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Last year, investors seeking returns as well as investments perceived as safe flocked to bonds. According to Morningstar statistics published in its first “Global Fund Flows Trend Report,” bond funds worldwide posted net inflows in 2012 of USD535bn, nearly 95% of long-term subscriptions, excluding money market funds. Total long-term inflows came to USD565bn, which corresponds to organic growth of nearly 4%. This is a significant inflows which, however, remains below 2009 and 2010 levels, when infloows came to USD746bn and USD672bn respectively. Vanguard and Pimco, respectively, attracted 16% and 18% of net subscriptions to mutual funds last year. US bonds were the largest global category of long-term assets, by far, with nearly USD2trn in assets under management. US investors contributed USD199bn to total bond inflows, which totalled USD227bn last year. Alongside this taste for bonds, the average management commission has fallen by spectacular proportions since 2007, meaning that investors are even more likely to seek lower-cost investments. Hence the growing interest in passive strategies. About 78% o mutual funds and ETFs worldwide are still actively-managed funds, but passive products have attracted 41% of net inflows, or about USD355bn. Excepting Australia and New Zealand, passive strategies have posted more rapid growth than actively-managed funds worldwide, where the clear winner is the United States. Morningstar observes that new funds, which do not yet have a three-year track record, attracted 87% of global inflows in 2012.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } The hedge fund Brevan Howard will donate GBP20.1m over eight years to the Imperial College Business School in London, to create a research centre in financial economy, the Brevan Howard Centre for Finance, the Financial Times reports. The donation is one of the largest ever given to a British business school. It was initiated by Alan Howard, founder of the hedge fund and an alumnus of the school.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } In a market statement on 11 March, Lloyds Banking Group announced plans to sell at least 102 million ordinary shares in the asset management firm St James’s Place (GBP33.8bn in assets as of the end of December), about 20% of ordinary capital in circulation. That will reduce the stake of Lloyds Banking Group in St James’s Place to 37%. The vendor plans to bring in capital gains of GBP350-400m through the sale.
La réforme bancaire engagée au Royaume-Uni doit être encore durcie et permettre si besoin une séparation totale entre activités de détail et d’investissement de toutes les banques du pays, a insisté le 11 mars la commission parlementaire mise en place après le scandale du Libor. «Il reste beaucoup de travail à faire pour améliorer la loi» de réforme, débattue ce lundi à la Chambre des communes, a estimé Andrew Tyrie, le président conservateur de cette commission mise en place cet été. Le ministre des Finances George Osborne a déjà accepté certaines propositions de la commission, comme de donner au régulateur le pouvoir de décider d’une séparation totale - et pas d’un simple cloisonnement - des activités au cas où une banque ne joue pas le jeu. Mais il fut aller encore plus loin et permettre éventuellement «une séparation complète et à travers tout le secteur» bancaire, et pas seulement pour un établissement au cas par cas, a fait valoir Andrew Tyrie
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } Asset management firms based in the United Kingdom may be offloading GBP1bn in costs per year by bundling them up in with opaque commissions charged to clients, Financial Times Fund Management finds. The figures include payments to access businesses, as well as research by third parties. British passively-managed equity funds, which do not pay for research or for access to businesses, generally charge commissions equivalent to 2.1 basis points on the securities they buy and sell, FTfm finds, citing figures from SCM Private. At the same time, the major British asset managers charged commissions averaging 10.4 basis points, which suggests that 8.3 basis points went to research and other costs.
La société d’investissement basée en Arabie saoudite Sedco Capital vient de lancer une plate-forme d’investissement dédié aux institutionnels conforme à la charia, rapporte Investment Europe.La plate-forme donne accès à sept fonds, dont les actifs sous gestion s'élèvent d’ores et déjà à plus de 1 milliard de dollars. Deux nouveaux fonds ont été lancés en même temps que la plate-forme, à savoir le SC Income Fund qui est doté de 100 millions de dollars, et le SC Global Markets Sentiement Fund, qui débute avec 150 millions de dollars. Ces deux fonds, gérés par Credit Suisse, s’adressent à une clientèle haut de gamme, particuliers fortunés, family offices, investisseurs institutionnels et distributeurs qualifiés.Ces fonds viennent s’ajouter à d’autres fonds domiciliés au Luxembourg si bien que Sedco Capital Global Funds comprend désormais 15 fonds dont les actifs sous gestion cumulés s'élèvent à plus de 1,6 milliard de dollars.
UBS a annoncé dans un communiqué publié le 12 mars que son conseil d’administration proposera lors de la prochaine assemblée générale du 2 mai 2013 de nommer Reto Francioni comme nouvel administrateur. L’ancien patron de Lufthansa, Wolfgang Mayrhuber, ne se représentera pas.Reto Francioni occupe depuis 2005 le poste de président du directoire de la Bourse allemande (Deutsche Börse). Auparavant, il a notamment été chef de la Bourse suisse (SWX Swiss Exchange).
Zagreb devrait pouvoir adhérer comme prévu à l’Union européenne le 1er juillet après la signature lundi d’un accord avec la Slovénie qui met fin à un contentieux bancaire datant de l'époque de la dislocation de la Yougoslavie. Il concernait la Ljubljanska Banka et la dette de cet établissement slovène envers des déposants croates.
Madrid n’a pas l’intention de fusionner les trois banques espagnoles nationalisées, a déclaré lundi le ministre de l’Economie Luis de Guindos, alors que l’Union européenne impose au gouvernement de les privatiser d’ici 2017. Selon Reuters, l’Espagne envisageait une fusion, partielle ou totale, entre Bankia et Catalunya Banc à la suite de l'échec d’une procédure de vente de cette dernière.
L’investisseur américain, dont la fortune est estimée par le magazine Forbes à 11,2 milliards de dollars, a envisagé de renoncer sa nationalité américaine à la faveur d’un exil vers Porto Rico pour échapper à la loi fiscale des Etats-Unis, selon des sources concordantes. Bloomberg avance que 10 milliardaires américains auraient déjà franchi le pas, alors que 40 autres seraient en voie de le faire.
Rome risque de ne pas être en mesure de respecter la date limite de la fin avril pour la soumission de son programme de stabilité aux autorités européennes en raison de l’impasse politique depuis les élections parlementaires, a déclaré lundi un diplomate italien. Le Parlement nouvellement élu se réunira pour la première fois vendredi.
Nairobi entend placer un Eurobond d’environ 1 milliard de dollars en septembre après la conclusion pacifique d’un scrutin dans la plus grande économie d’Afrique de l’est, a indiqué le ministre des Finances kenyan Robinson Githae. Inculpé par la CPI, Uhuru Kenyatta a été élu à la présidence au premier tour du scrutin du 4 mars. La Zambie prépare également un Eurobond d’ici la fin de l’année.
Le Parlement français a adopté définitivement cette nuit la proposition de loi socialiste sur l'énergie qui prévoit la mise en place au 1er janvier 2015 d’un mécanisme de bonus-malus sur les factures d'électricité, destiné à inciter les consommateurs à réduire leur consommation d'énergie. La proposition de loi avait été rejetée en octobre par le Sénat avec les voix des élus de droite et du Front de gauche.
En visite à Clermont Ferrand, le ministre de l’Economie Pierre Moscovici a signé les premières conventions de préfinancement de ce CICE, accessible dès cette année aux PME et TPE dans la limite de 4% de leur masse salariale. Ce préfinancement prend la forme d’avances de la Banque publique d’investissement ou des banques traditionnelles avec une garantie de cette même BPI.
Dans un article publié par l’Agefi, Philippe Rey, responsable des investissements de l’UMR déclare que l’institution a placé 15 millions d’euros dans un fonds investissant exclusivement dans des obligations émises par des PME, en partie garanti par Oséo et géré par Twenty First Capital. Cette garantie est une pièce essentielle du dispositif. La garantie couvre au maximum 70% des investissements (hors coupon) sur les entreprises de moins de 5 ans d’existence et 50% pour les autres, plafonnés à 30% de l’encours total. Chaque émission doit être validée par Oséo. Ce dispositif permet aux investisseurs soumis à Solvabilité 2 de limiter le capital requis (SCR). La valorisation du fonds étant peu volatile (les sous-jacents ne sont pas cotés) et le fonds offrant une garantie partielle, le SCR spread serait compris entre 7,5 et 10,5%, selon les estimations de Twenty First Capital. De plus, le fonds négocie, au cas par cas, des sûretés avec les entreprises qu’elle finance. Autre sécurité pour l’investisseur, Twenty First Capital vient en cofinancement avec un autre partenaire (généralement Boost & Co ou Entrepreneur Venture).