La société de gestion Algebris Investments a été nommée « employer of the year » dans le cadre de la première édition des « Women in Finance Italy Awards », rapporte Bluerating. Au sein de la société, 42 % des employés sont des femmes. Ce pourcentage monte à 55 % pour le bureau italien. La parité est respectée à tous les niveaux de la hiérarchie et dans tous les départements, assure le media. Un quart des membres de l’équipe d’investissement est composé de femmes.

La commercialisation du fonds Ailis M&G Collection, le nouveau compartiment d’Ailis, Sicav luxembourgeoise gérée par Fideuram Asset Management Ireland, dont la gestion a été déléguée à M&G Investments, a rencontré un vif succès, rapporte Bluerating. Le fonds a été vendu par le réseau Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking entre le 8 janvier 2018 et le 27 février et 1,1 milliard a été levé. Ailis M&G Collection est une solution qui s’adresse aux clients ayant un objectif d’investissement de moyen-long terme et un profil de risque moyen/faible. Le portefeuille est diversifié et se compose d’une sélection des meilleurs stratégies d’investissement de M&G

Lorenza Lei, ex-directrice générale de la Rai, a rejoint le conseil d’administration de BancoPosta Fondi Sgr, la société de gestion de Poste Italiane, en tant qu’administratrice indépendante, rapporte Bluerating, citant Milano Finanza. Elle succède à Barbara Poggiali, qui était jusqu’en novembre dernier responsable du marketing stratégique de Poste Italiane. Les autres membres du conseil d’administration de BancoPosta Fondi sont Andrea Novelli, Giorgio Lamanna et Anna Minghetti.

Pimco vient de nommer Alessandro Gandolfi managing director pour son activité en Italie, rapporte Bluerating. Avant cela, l’intéressé était responsable du développement en Italie. Il travaille chez Pimco depuis 2006.

Certains fonds affiliés à Apollo Global Management ont conclu un partenariat stratégique avec Realty Partners afin d’investir de manière sélective sur le marché immobilier italien, ont annoncé hier les deux partenaires. La stratégie des deux partenaires consiste à investir dans des actifs présentant un potentiel de valorisation (conversion, restructuration, repositionnement du marché). Ces actifs peuvent provenir des cessions ordinaires ou extraordinaires, d’acquisitions de sociétés immobilières ou d’investissements dans des créances douteuses garanties.

La société britannique de capital-investissement Montagu Private Equity est actuellement en discussion avec des investisseurs afin de lever son premier fonds dédié aux infrastructures, a appris Private Equity News, filiale de Financial News. La société envisage de lever un total de 500 millions d’euros pour ce fonds. Le véhicule investira dans des actifs d’infrastructures de taille moyenne en Europe, selon une source proche du dossier.

Le directeur général de Man Group a perçu un bonus représentant 237 % de son salaire l’an dernier – alors que parallèlement les femmes sont 30 % moins bien payées que les hommes au sein de la société, rapporte Financial News. La rémunération totale de Luke Ellis a bondi de 54 % à 6,22 millions de dollars, dont un salaire de 1,1 million et un bonus de 2,6 millions. Cela intervient après une année importante pour la société, qui a vu son bénéfice bondir et ses encours passer les 100 milliards de dollars.

VP Bank Schweiz, l’antenne suisse de la banque privée VP Bank, basée au Liechtenstein, vient de recruter Oliver Möhl en qualité de responsable des opérations (COO), rapporte le site spécialisé finews. Basé à Zurich, Oliver Möhl devrait prendre ses fonctions à compter du 19 mars. L’ex-pilote de Swissair a atterri dans la finance en 2007 en qualité de conseiller à la clientèle chez UBS pour les particuliers fortunés originaires de Russie. VP Bank s’intéresse pour sa part beaucoup au marché russe où elle envisage de recruter 75 conseillers clientèle d’ici à fin 2019.

UBS Asset Management a annoncé le lancement d’UBS Partner, une solution technologique en marque blanche dont la finalité est de «modifier radicalement le processus de conseil et le service à la clientèle offerts par les banques», explique le groupe suisse. UBS Partner, qui fait partie de l’offre UBS Platform Solutions, sert à analyser quotidiennement les portefeuilles des clients, évaluer les portefeuilles individuels en fonction des profils de risque correspondants, des critères clés de qualité des instruments et des objectifs d’investissement. «En identifiant les clients qui ne sont pas sur la bonne voie pour atteindre leur objectif financier personnel, UBS Partner crée des options d’investissement adaptées et exploitables pour les aider à reprendre le cap», commente la banque.Dans son communiqué UBS Partner indique travailler déjà avec les clients conseillers du groupe Banca Generali.

Indosuez et Capgemini ont annoncé la création en commun d’une plateforme technologique dédiée aux opérations bancaires des gérants de fortune et des banques privées. Ce nouveau partenariat sera développé dans le cadre de S2i, la plateforme «end-to-end» propriété de Crédit Agricole Private Banking Services (CA-PBS), une entité de CA Indosuez Suisse, précise un communiqué. Il réunira les connaissances d’Indosuez Wealth Management en matière bancaire et réglementaire avec l’expertise de Capgemini, spécialiste de la transformation digitale et des services informatiques. Le partenariat affiche une ambition claire: celle de devenir un leader des services d’externalisation pour les banques privées et les gérants de fortune à travers le monde et plus particulièrement en Europe et en Asie. Créé en 1992 au cœur de la structure d’Indosuez, CA-PBS est un pionnier de l’externalisation des services bancaires. Aujourd’hui, ses services sont offerts à 30 banques privées situées dans 11 pays, principalement en Europe et en Asie, couvrant un total de 150 milliards de francs suisses d’actifs, en hausse de 30 % en 2017. «Ce nouveau partenariat prometteur sera axé sur l’accompagnement de la transformation digitale et opérationnelle des grandes sociétés de gestion de fortune à l'échelle internationale, en intégrant les complexités de l’environnement réglementaire et les exigences élevées du secteur en matière d’exécution des transactions. Cet accord repose sur les expertises complémentaires de nos deux sociétés, ainsi que sur la compréhension unique du secteur acquise par CA-PBS au cours de ses 25 ans d’existence. En unissant nos forces à celles de Capgemini, nous avons la conviction de pouvoir créer une nouvelle référence mondiale de la technologie dans l’univers de la gestion de fortune», commente Paul de Leusse, directeur général d’Indosuez Wealth Management, cité dans le communiqué.

Le fonds de pension danois PBU (10 milliards d’euros d’encours) recherche un nouveau responsable des actions, rapporte le site danois AMWatch. Cela fait suite à la promotion de l’ancien patron des actions, Carsten Warren Petersen, au poste de responsable des investissements. Parallèlement, l’équipe d’investissement va recruter deux nouveaux jeunes talents.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; } Sales of the Ailis M&G Collection fund, a new sub-fund of Ailis, a Luxembourg Sicav managed by Fideuram Asset Management Ireland, whose management has been outsourced to M&G Investments, have been highly successful, Bluerating reports. The fund was on sale via the Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking network between 8 January and 27 February, and EUR1.1bn was raised. Ailis M&G Collection is a solution aimed at clients with a mid- to long-term investment objective, and a moderate/low risk profile. The portfolio is diversified and is composed of a selection of the best investment strategies from M&G.

Towards the development of a Capital Markets Union (CMU) The European Commission is promoting alternative sources of financing and removing barriers to cross-border investments. «Today’s proposals will boost the cross-border market for investment funds, promote the EU market for covered bonds as a source of long-term finance and ensure greater certainty for investors in the context of cross-border transactions of securities and claims», said the European Commission. Proposals in details - European covered bondsThe Commission is today proposing common rules – consisting of a Directive and a Regulation – for covered bonds. With EUR 2.1 trillion in outstanding amounts, they are currently among the largest debt markets in the EU. European banks are global leaders in this market, which represent an important source of long-term financing in many EU Member States. Covered bonds are financial instruments backed by a segregated group of loans. They are considered beneficial not only because they fund cost-effective lending, but also because they are particularly safe. However, the EU market is currently fragmented along national lines with differences across Member States. The proposed rules are based on high-quality standards and best practices. They aim to enhance the use of covered bonds as a stable and cost-effective source of funding for credit institutions, especially where markets are less developed. They will also give investors a wider and safer range of investment opportunities. At the same time, the proposal seeks to reduce borrowing costs for the economy at large. The Commission estimates that the potential overall annual savings for EU borrowers would be between EUR 1.5 billion and EUR 1.9 billion. - Cross-border distribution of investment funds Investment funds are an important tool to channel private savings into the economy and increase funding possibilities for companies. The EU investment funds market amounts to a total of EUR 14.3 trillion. However, this market has not yet achieved its full potential. Just over a third (37%) of UCITS funds and around 3% of alternative investment funds (AIFs) are registered for sale in more than three Member States. This is also due to regulatory barriers that currently hinder the cross-border distribution of investment funds. Today’s proposal aims to remove these barriers for all kinds of investment funds making cross-border distribution simpler, quicker and cheaper. Increased competition will give investors more choice and better value, while safeguarding a high level of investor protection. - Law applicable to cross-border transactions in claims and securitiesThe assignment of a claim refers to a situation where a creditor transfers the right to claim a debt to another person in exchange of a payment. This system is used by companies to obtain liquidity and access credit. At the moment, there is no legal certainty as to which national law applies when determining who owns a claim after it has been assigned in a cross-border case. The new rules proposed today clarify according to which law such disputes are resolved: as a general rule, the law of the country where creditors have their habitual residence would apply, regardless of which Member State’s courts or authorities examine the case. This proposal will promote cross-border investment, access to cheaper credit and prevent systemic risks. The Commission has also adopted a Communication to clarify which country’s law applies when determining who owns a security in a cross-border transaction. Enhanced legal certainty will promote cross-border investment, access to cheaper credit and market integration. The Mid-Term Review of the Capital Markets Union Action Plan reported in June 2017 on the progress made so far in bringing the Action Plan forward and set the timeline for new action. In this context the Commission announced that it would publish in Q1 2018 several legislative proposals, notably in the areas of investment funds, covered bonds and dispute resolution. Today’s package contains these proposals, concludes the European Commission.

January 2018 saw fund companies in Germany record inflows of new money to the tune of EUR 18.9 billion net, according to German association BVI. Open-ended Spezialfonds accounted for EUR 9 billion. The lion’s share, however, came from open-ended retail funds, which generated inflows of EUR 11.4 billion – their second-best figure for new business in January. Only January 2000 saw higher inflows into open-ended retail funds, then standing at EUR 13 billion. At EUR 6.3 billion net, equity funds top the January sales chart within the open-ended retail fund segment. This is the strongest new business since July 2000, when they attracted a comparably high level of new money (EUR 6.4 billion). At EUR 3.8 billion, balanced funds registered the second- highest sales in January, followed by open-ended property funds with EUR 0.7 billion. As at the end of January 2018, fund companies managed net assets totalling EUR 3.04 trillion. Of this volume, EUR 1.6 trillion was invested in open-ended Spezialfonds, while open-ended retail funds accounted for EUR 1.06 trillion, discretionary mandates accounted for EUR 377 billion, closed-ended retail funds accounted for EUR 1.9 billion and closedended Spezialfonds made up EUR 4.1 billion. The net assets in property funds managed by fund companies grew from EUR 156 billion (end of January 2017) to EUR 171 billion over the past 12 months. This equates to an increase of just under 10 per cent. EUR 90.6 billion was invested in open-ended retail funds, EUR 77.3 billion in open-ended Spezialfonds and EUR 3.4 billion in KAGB-compliant closed-ended funds. An analysis of open-ended property funds shows that, based on market value, retail funds have more than doubled their share in US real estate over the past three years, rising from 4 per cent to 11 per cent. For Spezialfonds, this figure rose from 2 per cent to 5 per cent. However, at 35 per cent and 70 per cent respectively, the focus of both retail funds and Spezialfonds remains on German real estate. In contrast, property funds have reduced their shares in real estate in both France and the UK over the past three years.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; } Alain Benso, head of sales for IFAs in western Paris at Sycomore, is expected to leave the firm to join Twenty First Capital, the website H24 reports. Benso had been working at Sycomore for more than ten years. At Twenty First Capital, he will join Stanislas Bernard and Nicolas Mahé, ex-director of marketing at Sélection 1818. Benso is expected to put a sales team in place to promote the IDFrance Smidcaps fund, among others, H24 reports.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; } PGIM Real Estate on 12 March announced that it has signed a promise of sale to acquire M Campus, a realty complex with about 45,000 square metres of primarily office space, located in Meudon. PGIM Real Estate has made the acquisition on behalf of one of its pan-European discretionary funds, and an institutional investor, whose name has not been disclosed. The property is being acquired from a joint venture of Norges Bank Real Estate Management and Axa France, represented by Axa Investment Managers – Real Assets. The sale price has not been disclosed. PGIM Real Estate is the real estate investment entity of PGIM, the asset management affiliate of the US Prudential Financial group.

Beyond Ratings, an independent macro-financial risk evaluation agency dedicated to country and sovereign risks, has announced the creation of a financial ratings agency, which will systematically integrate analysis of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. The ratings methodology developed for this purpose will take into account physical and transition climate risks. “This falls right in line with the Paris Agreement, and meets the recommendations of the HLEG2 report, recently submitted to the European Commission,” a statement says, adding that it is the first financial ratings agency to be created under the Paris Agreement.The project has the support of major institutional players, such as the Agence Français de Développement (AFD), the Caisse des Dépôts, and the Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM). It is also supported by several global bodies specialised in sustainable development issues: Climate-KIC, Ethos Foundation, Global Footprint Network. These partners together participate in the definition of ratings standards adapted to the challenges of the 21st century. Ratings from the agency will cover public issuers (sovereign, sub-sovereign and supranational bodies), and Beyond Ratings will issue its first ratings by the end of 2018, after ESMA accreditation is obtained.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; } The Norwegian Gouvernment Pension Fund Global (GPFG) is behind in matters of gender equality, the Danish website AMWatch reports, citing the Norwegian newspaper Dagens Nyheter. Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages the fund, has an unequal proportion of women to men, both in terms of the total number of employees and of directors. The inequality also includes pay scales. Dagens Nyheter reports that only 30% of the 573 employees at NBIM are women, compared with an objective of 40%. Female directors represent only 22% of the total, and they are paid 7% less than men. For non-director employees, the difference in pay is 20%.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; } The Australian asset management firm Macquarie Investment Management (Macquarie IM) on 12 March announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire ValueInvest Asset Management (ValueInvest). ValueInvest is a “value” asset management firm, whose investment strategies are primarily concentrated in global and Japanese equities. The firm has about EUR4bn in assets under management as of the end of December 2017. The operation, for a price that has not been disclosed, is expected to be completed in mid-2018. ValueInvest, founded in 1998, currently has 17 investment professionals, a team which will soon join Macquarie IM. At the conclusion of the transaction, ValueInvest will continue to be led by Jesper Alsing, its CEO, and Jens Hansen, its chief investment officer. ValueInvest will join the multi-boutique equity organisation of Macquarie IM, led by John Leonard, global head of equities at Macquarie IM.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; } VP Bank Schweiz, the Swiss arm of the private bank VP Bank, based in Liechtenstein, has recruited Oliver Möhl as chief operating officer (COO), the specialist website finews reports. Möhl will be based in Zurich, and will take up the new role from 19 March. The former Swissair pilot arrived in the finance industry in 2007 as a client adviser at UBS for Russian high net worth private clients. VP Bank, for its part, has a significant focus on the Russian market, where it is planning to recruit 75 client advisers by the end of 2019.

UBS Asset Management has announced the launch of UBS Partner, a white-label technology solution which will enable a step-change in the advisory process and client service offered by banks.UBS Partner, which forms part of the UBS Platform Solutions offering, scans client portfolios on a daily basis, assesses individual portfolios against corresponding risk profiles, key instrument quality criteria and investment goals. Identifying those clients which are not on track to meet their personal financial goal, UBS Partner creates tailored, actionable investment options to best help them get back on course. “We are excited to be able to offer access to UBS Partner globally, an immensely powerful solution which enables banks to change the conversation with their advisory clients centred on their investment goals. We believe this to be the first platform of its kind and we are delighted to already be working with Banca Generali to rollout UBS Partner to their client advisers in the near future.” said William Kennedy, Head of Client Coverage at UBS Asset Management.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; } The fintech SESAMm, a specialist in Big Data exploitations in asset management, on 12 March announced a round o fundraising for EUR2.6m, which is expected to bring a new phase of acceleration in its growth. The business aims to become a “leader in the areas of alternative data and artificial intelligence for market finance,” a statement says. The Fonds Venture Numérique Lorrain and the Caisse d’Epargne Lorraine Champagne-Ardenne are the largest investors in this round of fundraising, in which BPI, the Banque Populaire de Lorraine, Bourgogne Angels and other national and international business angels confirmed and renewed their support and participation. Through this assistance, SESAMm will accelerate its national and international growth. SESAMm has 18 employees, and some of these have high profiles in the fields of artificial intelligence and quantiative analysis. Its commercial activities are in florid expansion, with the recent signing of two major deals with Nikko Global Wrap (a top 5 asset manager in Japan, USD190nb in assets) and La Française Investment Solutions, part of the La Française group (a top 10 asset manager in France, USD64bn in assets). “Our objective is to consolidate our positioning in France and then in Europe, particularly by opening a new affiliate in London this year. Our development will also involve the United States. The growth outlooks in our market are strong: from USD67bn in 2014, the market for asset management software can be expected to grow to nearly USD104bn in 2019, according to MarketsAndMarkets,” says Sylvain Forte, cited in a statement.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; } The investment company Mabel Capital, in which the tennis player Rafael Nadal is an investor, has acquired a large realty complex in Lisbon, Portugal, for a total of EUR62m, Cinco Dias reports, citing an article in the Portuguese newspaper Expresso. The operation has been carried out by JCKL Portugal, which represents Mabel Capital in the country, and includes four buildings occupying over 12,000 square metres.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; } In February, a turbulent month on the global stock markets, equity funds on sale in Sweden posted net outflows of SEK8.2bn, or more than EUR800m, according to the most recent statistics from the Swedish fund association Fondbolagens Förening. Outflows were particularly heavy from Swedish equity funds, which saw outflows of over SEK4bn. In January, equity funds had inflows of SEK12bn in 2017, or about SEK47bn. These redemptions dragged down total flows to funds, which saw outflows of SEK1.2bn. Inflows in other categories may have been positive, but not with much dynamism. Bond funds attracted only SEK1.1bn, and diversified funds, EUR600m. Money market and hedge funds did little better, with SEK2.6bn and SEK2.7bn, respectively. Despite these redemptions, assets in funds rose by SEK23bn, to SEK4.098trn, or EUR403bn, a new record. Of this total, about 59% is placed in equity funds.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; } Some funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management have signed a strategic partnership with Realty Partners to invest selectively in the Italian real estate market, the two partners announced yesterday. The strategy of the two partners is to invest in properties with potential for valuation (conversion, restructuring, repositioning of the market). These properties may come from ordinary or extraordinary sales, acquisitions of realty companies, or investment in sub-prime debt with collateral.

Le fonds norvégien Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) est en retard en matière d’égalité hommes-femmes, rapporte le site danois AMWatch, citant le journal norvégien Dagens Nyheter. Norges Bank Investment Management, qui gère le fonds, a une proportion inégale de femmes par rapport aux hommes, que ce soit pour le nombre total d’employés et de dirigeants. Les inégalités concernent aussi les salaires. Dagens Nyheter rapporte que seulement 30 % des 573 employés de NBIM sont des femmes, soit moins que l’objectif de 40 %. Les dirigeantes ne représentent que 22 % du total et elles sont de surcroît payées 7 % de moins que les hommes. Pour les employées non dirigeantes, le différentiel de salaire est de 20 %.

La banque engrangera au mieux 1,8 milliard d’euros, alors qu’en décembre elle espérait glaner 2 milliards.

Les ministres des Finances veulent atteindre un accord sur un ensemble de mesures en discussion depuis fin 2016. Mais rien n'est gagné.