John Reynolds, CEO de KBC Bank Ireland a annoncé jeudi 14 novembre qu’il allait quitter la banque pour mener d’autres projets. Le Conseil d’administration a nommé. Wim Verbraeken, CFO/COO actuel de KBC Bank Ireland, au poste de CEO, en attendant l’approbation de la Banque nationale irlandaise.John Reynolds a passé 29 ans chez KBC, dont quatre ans comme chief executive. KBC a également décidé de renforcer le comité de direction d’un membre supplémentaire en scindant la fonction CFO/COO en deux fonctions distinctes. Les successeurs de Wim Verbraeken au poste de COO et CFO seront nommés le plus rapidement possible. Ce dernier a rejoint KBC Bank Ireland en juillet 2013 et a succédé à Ian Black.

BNP Paribas IP a recruté Tan Puay-Lit, un ancien de BlackRock, en tant que responsable Asie-Pacifique des institutions officielles et CEO adjoint pour Singapour, rapporte Asian Investor. La nomination a pris effet le 7 novembre. Tan Puay-Lit a précédemment passé cinq ans et demi en tant que directeur des clients institutionnels à Singapour pour BlackRock.

Amilton Asset Management vient d’annoncer le recrutement de Thierry Crovetto en tant que gérant. Une arrivée qui répond "à la volonté de la société de gestion française de renforcer ses expertises de gestion, notamment sur les classes d’actifs obligataires et performances absolues», souligne un communiquéDepuis 2009, Thierry Crovetto était responsable de la stratégie d’investissement chez G&G Private Finance, société de gestion basée à Monaco. Il avait auparavant travaillé pour différentes sociétés de gestion et banques, à Monaco et au Luxembourg dont notamment à la Société Générale. Avec des encours d’environ 420 millions d’euros et une offre étendue de produits et services, Amilton Asset Management est présent sur la clientèle privée, les investisseurs institutionnels, les family office ainsi que les conseillers en gestion de patrimoine indépendants.

César Zeitouni a quitté le fonds Exane Archimedes, est en mesure de révéler Citywire. Le spécialiste du long/short actions co-gérait le fonds de 326 millions d’euros avec Gilles Lenoir depuis son lancement en décembre 2006. César Zeitouni va se concentrer sur de nouveaux lancements de fonds.

La société Optimind Winter, spécialiste de l’actuariat conseil et de la gestion des risques vient de procéder à trois nominations. Fabrice Magnin et Olivier de Monplanet sont nommés senior manager en protection sociale. De son côté, Axel James est nommé manager. Fabrice Magnin et Olivier de Monplanet, sous la responsabilité de Pierre-Alain Boscher, directeur du métier de la protection sociale, ont désormais en charge le pilotage et le développement du métier protection sociale chez Optimind Winter. Pour sa part, Axel James, sera sous la responsabilité de Tristan Palerm, directeur du métier de l’actuariat conseil, et contribuera activement au développement de l’actuariat conseil auprès des institutionnels, indique un communiqué.Fabrice Magnin qui a rejoint Winter & Associés en 1998 a débuté en tant que consultant en actuariat généraliste avant d’occuper des fonctions de directeur de projets informatiques et actuariels. Il a repris le management de l’activité retraite corporate en 2011 et gère l’équipe dédiée au suivi, au pilotage et à la gestion de régimes de retraite.Olivier de Monplanet est actuaire qualifié membre de l’Institut des actuaires. Au cours de ces 10 dernières années, il a accompagné de grandes entreprises sur de nombreux sujets tels que les passifs sociaux, la retraite, la prévoyance & la santé, des projets institutionnels et la mise en place de la certification ISO.Enfin, Axel James est arrivé chez Optimind Winter en 2011 et a particulièrement contribué au développement des interventions à caractère actuariel et financier. Il est également intervenu auprès des assureurs sur des missions variées en actuariat conseil. Axel James est practice leader Financial and Asset Management.

The Luxembourg regulator (CSSF) has authorised the first RQFII UCITS fund (renminbi qualified foreign institutional investor), a statement says. Such a product can now be created in Luxembourg, even though the asset management firm is not based in the country. However, the asset management firm must have RQFII status in its jurisdiction. A statement says that the RQFII UCITS is particularly attractive for foreign asset management firms which use Luxembourg as a platform to distribute their funds internationally. As of the end of June 2013, 18 asset management firms had already created renminbi funds in Luxembourg, representing CNY220bn in assets.

As head of Amundi, the largest European asset management firm by assets under management, Yves Perrier admits it: the significant outflows form networks in France, especially Crédit Agricole, has now become a major trend. Despite all this, Amundi is still showing good results since the beginning of the year. It owes this to its international activity, and activities serving institutional investors. Hence the firm's partnership strategy, buying stakes or making acquisitions guided by the firm to make it one of the players who count in the industry.

Schroder GAIA Sirios US Equity, the UCITS format USA long/short equity fund launched in February 2013, whose management is outsourced to a well-known asset manager, John Brennan at Sirios Capital Management, has clearly won over many investors. Due to the modest range of quality UCITS format USA long/short equity funds in Europe, the fund has taken in very strong subscriptions since its launch barely eight months ago, and now has total assets of over USD700m. The Schroder GAIA Sicav, specialised in liquid alternative strategies, adapted to UCITS IV format, now includes 7 specialised funds for different investment strategies (including 5 outsources to external managers and 2 managed internally), with overall assets of over EUR2bn.

Funds People reports that Banco Madrid, the Spanish affiliate of Banca Privada d’Andorra (BPA), has acquired the investment fund activity of Banco Mare Nostrum (BMN) for EUR20m, pending approval by the CNMV. With EUR500m in BMN funds on sale through Cajamurcia, Caja Granada and Sa Nostra, assets at Banco Madrid will total EUR4bn, The contract stipulates that Banco Madrid will be the exclusive provider of funds for the BMN network for 10 years.Banco Madrid previously acquired the asset management activities of Nordkapp and Liberbank.

Since the beginning of the year, Amundi ETF has posted net subscriptions in Europe of EUR10.5bn, of which 60% were to equity products, and 40% to bond products. And the interesting thing is that this has resulted in a «great rotation» in the portfolios of clients, Laure Peyranne Rovet, head of customer relationships, tells Funds People.In 2014, Amunsi ETF is planning to focus on equity ETFs hedged for currency risks, and for bond ETFs, on funds which replicate high yield indices.

Family offices in Hong Kong and Taiwan insurers are among the institutional investors who are showing increasingly marked interest in issues of socially responsible investment (SRI), the asset management firm Impax Asset Management, a specialist in socially responsible investment, claims, Asian Investor reports. Impax, which is 25% controlled by BNP Paribas Investment Partners, is working with the distribution platform of the French group to increase its Asian assets over the past five years. Currently, Asian assets under management from Impax total only GBP50m, half of which originates from australia, out of assets of GBP2.2bn. Several factors, however, militate in favour of this interest for sustainable investment, including a desire on the part of the Chinese government to take measures to combat pollution. But institutional type allocation to sustainable investment remains modest, totalling a maximum of about 5%.

BNP Paribas IP has recruited Tan Puay-Lit, formerly of BlackRock, as head of official Asia-Pacific institutions, and deputy CEO for Singapore, Asian Investor reports. The appointment became efective on 7 November. Puay-Lit previously spent five and a half years as director of institutional clients in Singapore for BlackRock.

Petercam Asset Management has launched a high yield corporate bond fund, Petercam L Bond EuR Corporate High Yield, which will be managed by Thierry Larose and Bernard Lalière. The two are currently responsible for two high yield funds, Petercam L Bonds Higher Yield and Petercam L Bonds EUR High Yield Short Term.

The CNMV has issued a sales license for Spain to three ETFs from Lyxor UCITS ETF, the SG Europe Quality Income, the CSI 300 A-Share- C-EUR and the BTP 10Y – MTS Italy Government Bond –C- Eur, Funds People reports.

The German asset management firm publity Performance GmbH has selected Caceis to serve as its depository fr its open-ended real estate investment funds, according to a statement released on 14 November. The first real estate fund was successfully migrated to Germany by Caceis in April 2013. the migration of the second fund is planned for January 2014. Publity AG< the paent company based in Leipzig, invests largest in commercial real estate, as well as in office and residential properties located in German cities, such as Frankfurt-am-Main, Hamburg, and Munich. Publity Performance GmbH, an affiliate of publity AG, is an independent asset management firm (Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft).

The New York-based hedge fund Third Point has acquired USD150m in equities in the largest issue from the Turkish asset management firm Emlat Konut GYO, 49.3% controlled by the Turkish government, the news agency Bloomberg reports. According to sources familiar with the transaction, the acquisition of Third Point is its only investment in the Turkish market. Thid Point has increased its stake from slightly under 5%, the level at which a declaration is required in Turkey.

Amilton Asset Management has announced the recruitment of Thierry Crovetto as manager. The arrival responds to “the desire of Amilton Asset Management to strengthen its expertise in asset management, including the bond and absolute return asset classes,” a statement says. Since 2009, Crovetto was responsible for investment strategy at G&G Private Finance, an asset management firm based in Monaco. He previously worked for various asset management firms and banks, in Monaco and Luxembourg, including Société Générale. With assets of about EUR420m, and a wide range of products and services, Amilton Asset Management is present in private clients, institutional investmsnts, Family Offices and independent fianncial advisers.

Edmond de Rothschild will launch a merchant banking business in London this week, to make the City its largest centre after Paris, Geneva and Luxembourg, the Fiancial Times reports. The group, led by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, has recruited 20 senior advisers to launch its private banking and corporate finance business, alongside its existing asset management activity. The group now has 100 employees in London, but is planning to increase this number. Christophe de Backer, CEO of Edmond de Rothschild, has told the Financial Times that the private banking and asset management group may put up to 150 employees at its Mayfair offices, and that it is planning to expand if necessary.

The private banking and wealth management unit at the Arbuthnot Banking unit has opnened an office in Dubai in order to develop its activities in the region. Meanwhile, Arbuthnot Latham has recruited four senior bankers for the new unit, Paul Donovan and Kieran McDonnell, previously of Coutts, as directors, as well as Giles Hanson and Peter Casey of HSBC and Barclays, respectively, as associate directors, Clare Doyle, Frances White and David Smith have been appointed as private banking executives.

Aberdeen AM will probably today sign off on the purchase of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) from Lloyds Banking Group, to create the first independent publicly-traded fund management firm in Europe, Agefi reports, citing the Sunday Times. The price of about GBP500m (nearly GBP600m), paid in shares, will allow Aberdeen to manage about GBP250bn in assets. Life insurance activities at Scottish Widows will continue to be housed at Lloyds.

The Irish-registered, UCITS-compliant fund Baring European Opportunities Fund, launched in London on 29 October 2013, was licensed last week in France. The new product will be managed by Nick Williams and Colin Riddles, who will manage it in the same way as their Baring Europe Select Trust, a fund whose assets exceed EUR1bn. The portfolio will include an average of 100 positions on a universe of 7,000 businesses.For A-class shares, the minimal subscription is EUR2,500, and annual management fees are 1.5%. An institutional share will also be available.According to information obtained by Newsmanagers, the Baring European Opportunities Fund, whose benchmark index is the MSCI Europe Smallcap Index, is starting up with EUR150m contributed by two institutional investors, one British and one German. The new product will be subject to strong demand due to the fact that the four main competing products now either have suspended subscriptions, or have nearly reached their capacity limits.Since the beginning of the year, net subscriptions to Barings in Europe are estimated at about EUR1.4bn, while the manager has seen outflows of about EUR400m from Asia since May.

After a slowdown in second half 2012, the Italian real estate sector has finished the first six months of the year with stable evolution, Assogestioni, the Italian association of asset management professionals, reports. Total activities are approaching EUR42bn, slightly up by 0.4% compared with second half 2012. Assets in the 209 funds counted in Italy totalled EUR25.6bn, and gross inflows totalled EUR701m, down compared with EUR981m in December. Redemptions totalled EUR439m. In first half, 9 funds were launched and the average duration for new products is 14 years. The range in the sector is 90% composed of funds reserved for institutional or qualified investors (188 funds for EUR2bn). The 21 retail funds have assets of EUR4.6bn.

The former secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner, has been recruited as president and managing director by the private equity firm Warburg Pincus, the Wall Street Journal reports. Geithner will report directly to the co-CEOs, Charles Kays and Joseph Landy, and will serve full-time in the operational roles at the firm of strategy and management for the group, investor relations, and questions related to investments.

César Zeitouni has left the Exane Archimedes fund, Citywire reveals. The long/short equity specialist was co-manager of the EUR326m fund with Gilles Lenoir since its launch in December 2006. Zeitouni will now concentrate on new fund launches.

The asset management firm SEB Asset Management, an affiliate of the Swedish banking group SEB, which has been present in France for several years via its funds, is seeking to develop its presence serving French independent financial adviser (IFA) clients. To achieve this, it has recruited Adil Benmakhlouf, previously of Morgan Stanley, as salesperson for France dedicated more partiuclarly to these clients. He is based in London, like all of the team covering France, but regularly travels to France. He works with Laurent Farcy-Briant, head of sales for France and French-speaking Switzerland. In order to win over French IFAs, SEB AM is playing the Scandinavian card, which currently has a favourable image, to the fullest. The range on offer to these clients thus naturally includes three Scandinavian equity funds from SEB which are already registered in France. These are the SEB Nordic Fund, a Scandinavian equity fund managed by Tommi Saukkoriipi, formarly of Nordea, the SEB Nordic Small Cap Fund, a fund specialised in Scandinavian small caps, and the SEB Nordic Focus Fund, a fund based on the best ideas from Scandinavia managers at the firm. This range will soon be complemented by other products, including the Asset Selection (CTA) fund and a quant-managed global equity fund, which will also be made available to institutional investors. Opening to IFAs will allow SEB AM to continue its development in France, which began a few years ago, and which has hitherto been focused on professional clients (fonds of funds, insitutionals). Laurent Farcy-Briant, who joined the firm two and a half years ago to cover the French markte, says that at the time, SEB AM had only EUR12m under management for French clients, who were primarily invested in the SEB Asset Selection fund. These assets now total nearly EUR100m, distributed over a wide variety of products, and a more diversified range of clients.

Following a restricted request for proposals for the 1st lot of contract 2011FRR07 (thematic collective fund mandate – Global Universe), the French national pension fund, the Fonds de réserve pour les retraites (FRR), has decided to select the bids from the following asset management firms: 1. BNP Paribas Asset Management SAS 2. Kleinwort Benson Investors The mandates will be awarded for a duration of four years, renewable for 1 year. The indicative total amount of funds placed for management may total EUR150m. The FRR on 21 September 2012 launched a restricted request for proposals for selection of investment service providers to manage transition operations. At the conclusion of the selection process, the FRR decided to select the bids from the following candidates: · Blackrock Advisors (UK) Limited · Goldman Sachs International· Russell Implementation Services The mandates are awareded for a period of three years, renewable for 1 year.

The Global Convertible Bond team at RWC, headed up by Davide Basile, has taken over the RWC Cautious Absolute Rate and Currency fund.The fund will be renamed RWC Core Plus and it will be co-managed by Basile and Lakshman Harendran. The objective of the fund will be to generate strong real returns with low volatility. The fund will have a core portfolio of convertible bonds that will be complemented by the use of other asset classes and hedging.Basile’s team currently manage $1.8bn in long only convertible bonds funds having seen net inflow of $595m this year. The approach and asset allocation framework currently used by the team will be extended to RWC Core Plus. It is expected that the new strategy will have many of the benefits of a traditional convertible bond fund but it will have additional flexibility to express the macro views of the team to reduce downside volatility and enhance returns.The fund is a UCITS IV Luxembourg SICAV. It is registered for sale in a number of European countries.

GLG Partners has unveiled the GLG Undervalued Assets fund, Fund Web reports. The new product has received GBP40m in capital, and is expected to be launched on 15 November. Henry Dixon will manage the new portfolio, which will be invested predominantly in British equities with an emphasis on undervalued securities.

Matthieu David, head of external distribution at BNP Paribas Investment Partners, has told Bluerating that the French asset management firm will soon start an “ambitious campaign” to relaunch the Parvest platform. In 2013, it says that BNP Paribas IP has seen an acceleration in its activities serving financial adviser networks.

M&G Investments has posted net subscriptions in Italy since the beginning of 2013 of over EUR2.5bn, and now has assets of over EUR7.1bn in the country, Andrea Orsi, associate director of M&G Investments Italia, tells Bluerating. “Italy now represents the second largest market for M&G, after the UK,” he says.In 2013, the British firm has formed 10 new distribution agreementswith networks of financial advisers and private banks. Five other agreements are expected to be signed by the end of the year, with three networks of financial advisers and two private banks.In Italy, M&G has 12 employees, who are supported by 10 native Italian speaking people based in London.