Credit Suisse AM and Equilibrium Capital Group Launch a Platform for Sustainable Real Assets

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Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. Schroders se une a la iniciativa Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)

Credit Suisse Asset Management and Equilibrium Capital Group, sustainability infrastructure and resource management leader, have joined forces to launch a platform of sustainable real assets that will allow them to expand the resources and capital available to industries and businesses that share their commitment to sustainability.

Credit Suisse revealed in a press release that this partnership follows its establishment in July of an executive board-level function Sustainability, Research & Investment Solutions (SRI). SRI has a commitment to provide at least 300 billion Swiss francs of sustainable financing over the next decade in fulfillment of the bank’s and its clients’ desire to deploy capital sustainably.

In support of this global initiative, Credit Suisse AM and Equilibrium will jointly develop and manage a sustainable infrastructure and resource management platform. The collaboration will allow them to combine Credit Suisse’s global reach and expertise in sustainability with Equilibrium’s industry leadership “in building pioneering, institutional, sustainability-driven real asset and resource management capabilities”, they explained.

Climate change mitigation

“Equilibrium is an ideal partner for our franchise given our shared history in sustainability, alternatives and real assets. This partnership marks another landmark in Credit Suisse’s sustainability strategy to help address pressing environmental challenges”, commented Eric Varvel, Global Head of Credit Suisse AM.

Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Head of Sustainability, Strategy, Advisory and Finance at Credit Suisse, said that they are “delighted” to support this collaboration in pursuit of their shared mission to mobilize capital for good. The announcement “builds on Credit Suisse’s long history of ground-breaking sustainability strategies, from co-founding one of the early leaders in microfinance and impact credit, to integrating sustainability into real estate portfolios, and innovating in the fields of conservation and energy transition finance.”

Meanwhile, Dave Chen, CEO of Equilibrium Capital, pointed out that they are excited to partner with Credit Suisse on this mandate to address the changing resource infrastructure landscape. “While we cannot reverse climate change completely, we can mitigate its impact by creating more sustainable infrastructure. By managing the environmental risks around food production, waste, water and energy, we can foster greater stability and security in those areas”, he added.

Allfunds Obtains the Fed’s Approval to Open a Representative Office in Miami

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Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. La FED aprueba la solicitud de Allfunds Bank para abrir su oficina de representación en Miami

Allfunds Bank continues its international expansion process. Yesterday, the Federal Reserve Board approved their application to establish a representative office in Miami (Florida). The new office will be led by Laura González and will serve as Allfunds hub for US offshore activity. 

The statement released by the Board says that the office will act as a liaison with U.S. clients and prospective clients of the firm. Also it will “market and solicit new business for banking products and technological services provided by Allfunds”.

The Board thinks that the firm appears to have the experience and capacity to support the Miami Representative Office. “Taking into consideration Allfunds’ record of operations in its home country, its overall financial resources, and its standing with its home country supervisors, it has been determined that financial and managerial factors are consistent with approval of Allfunds’ application to establish the office”, they pointed out.

In a press release, Allfunds informed that González joined the firm in 2011 and has a wealth of knowledge on US offshore after working several years with the Latam market. Currently she serves as Allfunds Global Head of Wealth Management and prior to that she was appointed Head of Iberia and Americas at Allfunds covering both the strategic direction and the firm´s expansion model across the region. She also successfully led the opening of the Allfunds´ Brazilian office.

“We continue to fulfill our expansion plan. The opening of this office is a very important step for the company as it is the first office in the United States. This milestone reinforces our leadership as the world’s leading wealthtech and fund distribution platform and our commitment to the North American market”, said Juan Alcaraz, CEO of Allfunds.

Allfunds has several representative offices in South America and the Middle East and operates branches and subsidiaries in six countries. Its foreign operations include subsidiary companies in Brazil, Luxembourg, and Switzerland; branches in Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom; and other representative offices in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and the United Arab Emirates.

With total assets of approximately $2.5 billion, Allfunds is a Spanish bank providing clearing, settlement, and administration services through a platform offered to financial services firms, including banks, wealth managers, broker-dealers, insurance companies, fund managers, and pensions. It is the largest investment fund administration platform in Europe based on assets under administration, with over $615 billion.

GAM Hires Jill Barber as New Global Head of Institutional Solutions

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Foto cedidaJill Barber, new Global Head of Institutional Solutions at GAM. GAM ficha a Jill Barber para el cargo de directora global de soluciones institucionales

GAM announced the appointment of Jill Barber for the newly-created role of as Global Head of Institutional Solutions. In its quarterly results, the firm revealed that she will join them on 2 November 2020 and will partner with Jeremy Roberts, Global Head of Distribution, to lead sales and distribution.

Hiring Barber has to do with GAM’s intention to focus on growth and cross-selling opportunities between investment management and private labelling. The firm pointed out that further simplification of the business will also bring additional opportunities for efficiency gains in 2021 and 2022.

“The growth pillar of our strategy is progressing well with high levels of client interaction and a strong pipeline of growth opportunities. To support these efforts, we have hired Jill Barber to partner with Jeremy Roberts and lead sales and distribution, focusing on institutional and wholesale clients respectively. We are also seeing encouraging signs of success from collaboration between private labelling and investment management using capabilities from across the firm”, said GAM in its statement.

Before her appointment, Barber was global head of institutional at Jupiter AM for three years, prior to which she worked at Franklin Templeton Investments. Peter Sanderson, group chief executive at GAM, pointed out that she has “an excellent reputation across the industry, in-depth knowledge of the institutional market and demonstrable success in delivering solutions for clients”.

The asset manager also revealed that they will announce shortly a new appointment of the Global Head of Sustainable and Impact Investment, who will lead the sustainable investment strategy and strengthen their client ESG proposition.

Jupiter Opens its First Office in the United States for its New Subsidiary

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Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. Jupiter AM ubica en Denver su primera sede en Estados Unidos

Jupiter Asset Management announced the opening of its first office in the United States, for its recently created US subsidiary – Jupiter Asset Management US LLC (“JAM US”). Three Jupiter employees, including two newly appointed team members, will be based in the office in Denver (Colorado) as the firm initiates its expansion within the onshore US institutional market.

In a press release, the asset manager pointed out that Taylor Carrington has joined the firm as head of US distribution and managing director for JAM US. Reporting to Warren Tonkinson, managing director, distribution, he will lead the firm’s sales efforts in the onshore US institutional market. With 19 years’ experience in asset management, Carrington joins from Allianz Global Investors, where his most recent position was head of North America, institutional client team. “His appointment marks Jupiter’s first step into this client segment, and an important expansion of its international distribution profile”, said the firm.

Initially, he will spearhead the US onshore distribution of NZS Capital’s global growth strategies, following the agreement of the strategic partnership in late 2019, under which Jupiter is the exclusive global distributor of its products. Teh asset manager revealed that Carrington has known the NZS investment team and its client base for many years, having previously worked with NZS co-founders Brad Slingerlend and Brinton Johns at Janus Capital Group.

Following receipt of the appropriate regulatory approvals, he will also lead the distribution of Jupiter’s investment strategies to the onshore US institutional market.

As part of the initiative to build out the US infrastructure, the firm has also hired Tracy Pike as head of investment oversight at JAM US. As stated in the press release, subject to regulatory approval, her primary responsibility is to oversee the delegation of investment activities to NZS Capital in relation to the NZS strategies, or Jupiter Asset Management Limited in the UK.

Pike brings over 24 years’ industry experience and was previously head of sub-advisor oversight at Charles Schwab Investment Management. Prior to this, she was a senior product manager at Janus Capital Group, where she worked closely with Carrington and the NZS investment team. Pike will report to Katharine Dryer, Jupiter’s deputy CIO.

A credit research hub

Joining them in the Denver office will be Joel Ojdana, a US credit research analyst on the fixed income strategy. He has worked at Jupiter since July 2018 and has over twelve years’ experience in investments. Previously based in London, he has made “a meaningful contribution to the firm’s US credit research – an important pillar of Jupiter’s £12.7 billion unconstrained bond offering”, pointed out the asset manager. Ojdana will be Jupiter’s first research analyst based in the US and he will continue to report to Luca Evangelisti, head of credit research, remaining an integral member of Jupiter’s fixed income team.

Jupiter revealed that during 2021, they will be actively exploring the opportunity to establish a local US credit research hub and potentially expanding the team based there, with Ojdana leading this initiative.

A “vital” local presence

“The US institutional market is incredibly significant, and I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to open our office in Denver. Under Taylor and Tracy’s experienced leadership, there is a brilliant opportunity to expand meaningfully, offering both NZS and in time, Jupiter strategies to US institutional investors”, said Tonkinson.

In his view, establishing a local presence is vital to achieving success in this market and ensures their new US clients will receive the highest level of customer service. “The office opening also represents a key milestone in Jupiter’s international growth”, he added.

Meanwhile, Carrington commented that, having worked in the US institutional market for many years, he is confident that Jupiter’s “broad, high-conviction and genuinely active” fund range will appeal to a wide number of sophisticated investors looking to navigate global markets. “The opportunity to initiate Jupiter’s expansion in the region, as well as to work with the NZS team again, is incredibly exciting and I look forward to helping Jupiter becoming a significant participant in this market”, he said.

PIMCO and GE Capital Aviation Services Create an Aviation Leasing Investment Platform

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Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. PIMCO y GE Capital Aviation Services crean una plataforma de inversión en el sector de arrendamiento de aeronaves

PIMCO and GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), a business unit of GE, have reached a preliminary agreement to develop an aviation leasing platform to support up to $3 billion in aircraft asset financings. The firms announced in a press release that the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and receipt of required regulatory approvals.

This strategic investment platform will enable GECAS and PIMCO-advised accounts to acquire “new and young fuel-efficient aircraft to meet the needs of a diverse set of global airlines over many years”, they explained. The platform looks to provide “much-needed financing” for airlines which are looking to upgrade their fleets.

The portfolio will initially focus on narrowbody aircraft while allowing flexibility to invest in attractive opportunities in the widebody market. PIMCO and GECAS will consider a range of investment criteria including an airline’s assets and credit quality and also geographic factors.

PIMCO is already one of the world’s largest investors in aviation-backed debt. Both firms think that its presence in aviation financing markets combined with GECAS’ leadership role in the aircraft-leasing segment will provide “enormous flexibility” to fund the global airline industry. GECAS will source transactions, act as servicer and provide asset management services for the platform.

Essential liquidity for a critical industry

“As the airline industry struggles with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PIMCO-GECAS platform will inject essential liquidity into this critical industry by providing financing solutions at a time when there are fewer traditional financing options for airlines,” said Dan Ivascyn, PIMCO’s Group Chief Investment Officer.

In his view, aircraft remain an attractive asset class in a critical infrastructure sector supported by solid long-term growth drivers. He also pointed out that GECAS’ expertise as a world class aircraft lessor aligns with PIMCO’s “longstanding investment strategy” in aviation finance.

Meanwhile, Greg Conlon, president and CEO of GECAS, claimed to be “delighted” to team up with a premier institutional investor such as PIMCO in this strategic relationship which he thinks will enable “opportunistic plays” to support airline customers around the globe.

“While GECAS maintains an industry-leading position, this platform will ensure we can continue providing our airline customers with the aircraft needed to sustain their franchises”, he added.

The AMCS Group Launches US Offshore Effort for Jupiter Asset Management

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Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. Credit Suisse AM lanza un fondo para invertir en bonos corporativos de corta duración de mercados emergentes

The AMCS Group, a third-party distribution agency, announced in a press release that “effective immediately” it will represent the Jupiter Group, as introducer for its combined UCITS offering across both Jupiter and Merian branded funds. This follows Jupiter’s acquisition of Merian Global Investors on July 1st.

Central to the strategy will be several of Jupiter’s flagship products, including Jupiter Dynamic Bond ($16.9 billion assets under management), managed by Ariel Bezalel and Harry Richards; Jupiter European Growth ($9.2 billion AUM), managed by Mark Nichols and Mark Heslop; and the Merian Gold and Silver Fund ($945 million AUM), managed by Ned Naylor-Leyland.

“AMCS will be focusing its efforts for Jupiter exclusively in the US Offshore market, targeting global private banks, US wirehouses, regional broker dealers and independent advisory firms”, said the firm. It will be partnering closely with William Lopez, Jupiter’s Head of Latin America and US Offshore, in its effort to expand the reach of Jupiter Group funds across its targeted segments and clients.  

AMCS pointed out that they were closely involved with Merian Global Investors prior to its acquisition by Jupiter. Its partners developed Merian’s footprint in the Americas region from 2013 to 2018 as employees of the Old Mutual Group. When Merian, formerly Old Mutual Global Investors’ Single Strategy business, was spun out of its UK parent in a 2018 management buyout, Andres Munho and Chris Stapleton formed the AMCS Group to serve as introducer for its UCITS funds in the Americas.

Chris Stapleton, co-founder and managing partner at the AMCS Group said that they are “delighted” to have the opportunity to partner with Lopez and the wider Jupiter team to further solidify the firm’s position in the US Offshore market. “We believe there is an opportunity to leverage some of the existing relationships and framework we have developed with Merian to fast track Jupiter’s growth in this important market segment”, he added.

Meanwhile, Andres Munho, co-founder and managing partner at the AMCS Group, commented: “We are very pleased with the breadth of high-quality investment capability our partnership with Jupiter will enable us to deliver to our clients. Jupiter’s excellence in a number of fixed income sectors, including its flagship Dynamic Bond, provide an excellent addition to what we have historically offered through Merian.”

The AMCS Group’s Miami based team focused on the Jupiter effort

Stapleton will be overseeing global key account relationships across the region, as well as advisory and private banking relationships in the Northeast; and Munho will be overseeing all advisory and private banking relationships in Florida. Meanwhile, Francisco Rubio, regional vice president at AMCS, will be responsible for the Southwest and West Coast regions of the US, as well as private banks and independent advisory firms in Miami.

The team will be supported by Alvaro Palenga, sales associate and Virginia Gabilondo, client services manager.

Alantra AM Acquires 49% of Indigo Capital, a Pan-European Private Debt Asset Manager

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Foto: Morgon1905, Flickr, Creative Commons. paris

Alantra AM has announced in a press release the acquisition of a 49% stake in Indigo Capital SAS, a pan-European private debt asset manager.

Based in Paris, Indigo is an independent, established player in the alternative finance market specializing in the financing of small and medium-sized European businesses worth between €20-300 million through a combination of private bonds and preferred equity. Since inception, the firm’s 7 investment professionals have completed over 50 investments for a total value of more than €800 million across France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the UK.

“The investment in Indigo Capital represents yet another step in the growth plan of Alantra AM, and follows the incorporation of Grupo Mutua as its strategic partner to support the firm’s ambition of building a diversified pan-European asset management business”, said the firm in the press release.

Through its existing teams and the strategic stake in Indigo Capital, Alantra and its affiliates will have over €1 billion of assets under management covering different private debt strategies, including senior debt, unitranche and private bond solutions to corporates and long-term flexible financing for real estate companies.

The different teams actively cover 7 European markets.

The State of Inflation-Linked Bonds in a Post-COVID-19 Environment

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Pixabay CC0 Public DomainJana Vukomanovic. Jana Vukomanovic

As global markets attempt to recover their poise in the relentless shadow of COVID-19, one hot topic has perhaps challenged economists more than any other: What will be the pandemic’s effect on inflation? We believe the inflation rate will be between zero and 1%, and this is already priced in the market. But the picture for 2021 is only now starting to clear, presenting a new landscape of opportunities for investors in the inflation-linked bond market.

Many experts predicted the global coronavirus lockdown would be disinflationary – and they were right. The fall in activity did have a clear effect on prices for a variety of reasons. At AXA IM, we now forecast 2020 inflation to average 0.4% in the Eurozone, 1.0% in the US and 0.7% (1) in the UK – rising to 0.7%, 1.4% and 1.5% respectively for 2021. The impact, however, has not been a one-way street – we are already starting to see signs of higher pricing in some sectors which could suggest market expectations are too low.

One factor that has served to depress core inflation has been the inclusion of more online pricing into the data, an understandable measure given the impact of the lockdown on consumer behavior. However, we believe several other factors are having the opposite effect. Food prices, for example, have tended to climb during this period, as have telecoms prices after a long period of decline.

Hidden effects

In some areas we are still assessing the longer-term trend, although there does appear to be some evidence that education and health prices could continue to rise, alongside some localized trends in leisure and tourism services where consumers are no longer travelling to cheaper destinations. Inflation surveys could have a difficult job adapting to new realities in consumption patterns.

More fundamentally, there is evidence that the post-lockdown response from consumers has pushed some economies towards a more aggressive rebound than had been feared, accompanied by a parallel rise in prices. Figure 1 below shows that recent inflation numbers in the US have been the most solid seen in years, and that the rebound has been broad-based. In addition, as we move into 2021, inflation numbers worldwide will reflect a negative base effect from oil prices, which slumped as the pandemic spread.

 

AXA IM

From a more macro perspective, we see a medium-term risk that the COVID-19 outbreak could exacerbate tensions in the current model of globalization. Pre-pandemic – alongside US President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ approach to trade – there had already been a shift towards a more protectionist tone in global markets. Now the virus has forced countries and businesses to re-assess the flow of goods, services and people across borders.

Hedging into view

These observations mean we believe there is a general risk to the upside for inflation as we move into 2021. And it is a risk that we believe has not been adequately reflected in market expectations.

One way to gauge how markets expect inflation trends to evolve is to look at inflation swaps. The chart below (Figure 2) shows that realized inflation since June is consistent with the top-end outlooks for inflation. The inflation swap market, however, is still pricing in the lower end, particularly in Europe but also to some extent in the US. Our expectation is for a potential aggressive rebound of inflation at the beginning of 2021, and we believe investors should consider preparing for that eventuality.

AXA IM

Naturally, these factors to the upside are encouraging more investors to explore ways they can hedge inflation risk and is having a tangible impact on the inflation bonds market, already underpinned by active monetary policy and supportive fiscal policy. Consumer behavior, the rise of protectionism and the possibility of regulatory price effects (for example through green policies) will be central to the potential uptick in prices – but central banks will also do what they can to push inflation higher from this point.

 

Column written by Jonathan Baltora, Head of Sovereign, Inflation and FX – Core at AXA IM.

 

To learn more about this topic, please contact Rafael Tovar, Director of Wholesale/US Offshore Distribution, AXA IM at Rafael.Tovar@axa-im.com.

 

 

Notes:

[1] AXA IM estimates as of September 2020

 

 

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This communication is issued in the US by AXA Investment Managers, Inc., which is registered in the US with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The information contained herein may not be reproduced or transmitted, in whole or in part, by any means, to third parties without the prior consent of the AXA Investment Managers, Inc. © 2020 AXA Investment Managers, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

Family Businesses: Insights on an Attractive Investment Prospect

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Pictet Asset Management has developed a new investment strategy that invests in publicly listed family businesses, companies that count founding families as major shareholders. Pictet-Family was repositioned on the 29th May 2020 and has seen its investment universe change. It is managed by Alain Caffort and Cyril Benier. In this interview, they discuss the strategy’s guiding philosophy.

What exactly is a family business?

How you define a family business is a matter of interpretation. Sometimes it’s obvious, say when founders hold very large stakes in their own names. But the boundaries can sometimes be blurred. We take a systematic and rigorous approach to our definition. Family businesses that make up our investment universe are publicly listed companies in which an individual or family holds a minimum of 30 per cent of voting rights. The family can be by blood or marriage, the stake can be held through a foundation or some other vehicle. Such information is rarely freely available; unearthing it often requires painstaking research.

Why 30 per cent?

Research shows that active participation in the general assemblies of publicly listed companies averages around 60 per cent of share ownership. At 30 per cent, a shareholder (or group of closely tied shareholders) effectively has the casting vote and, thus, control.

Why focus on family businesses?

Family businesses are the lifeblood of our society and the backbone of the global economy. They contribute between 50 per cent and 70 per cent of countries’ gross domestic product and employ the majority of their workforces.

Pictet AM

There’s a large body of research showing family businesses tend to outperform their peers – financially and in terms of shareholder returns.

Of course, as anyone with experience of families and family disputes knows, this type of ownership can also lead to a number of problems – which is why it is also crucial to take an active approach to investing in these companies. And that’s where we can make a difference – ensuring we avoid the pitfalls in this otherwise attractive investment landscape. Please read our related article on the universe for more about why it makes sense to invest in family businesses with an active approach.

This suggests corporate governance is a big focus for you, is that right?

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are all important sources of investment performance. But when it comes to investing in family businesses, governance is key. That’s because governance is intrinsic to a company’s overall values and culture.

We use several bespoke indicators in order to draw out what’s acceptable and what isn’t. For example, we tolerate a lower degree of board independence from family companies – after all, the close alignment between the family’s and business’ fortunes is one of the reasons these companies do so well – but we’re much more stringent on the composition and approach of the company’s audit, remuneration and nomination committees.

What sorts of family businesses do you invest in?

We have no geographic or size preference – with the caveat that the shares have to have a fairly substantial minimum daily liquidity of USD5 million. We accept that this liquidity requirement keeps us from investing in some potentially interesting companies, but it also protects our clients from the worst effects of market dislocations such as we’ve recently seen.

Importantly, even after applying this stringent criteria, there are enough investable companies left – our universe is made up of 500 companies globally that operate across all sectors. It’s also worth noting that our liquidity limitation means that our strategy’s performance isn’t down to size effects. It’s not a case of trading performance for liquidity and thus volatility, as is the case with many small-cap funds. So we know that the outperformance of family businesses really is down to family effects.

So why do family businesses outperform?

We believe there are three primary reasons. First, the families tend to have most of their wealth and reputations invested in these companies, their interests are closely aligned. This, in turn, leads to the second reason, that family businesses often reinvest a larger proportion of their profits than their peers. Finally, stability of ownership also allows management to take a long-term view, rather than obsessing about the next quarter’s profits.

Are family firms weighted to certain countries and sectors?

Not in a way that narrows our investment options. Family companies operate across all sectors and industries. And we have a more balanced regional distribution than capitalisation-weighted global equity indices – for instance, 60 per cent of the MSCI All Country Index (ACWI) is based in North America, while our weighting is around 40 per cent.

But it is true we prefer some sectors to others. For example, Consumer Discretionary companies make up around 12 per cent of the MSCI ACWI but have nearly twice the weighting in our portfolio. And the majority of these companies are based in Europe, including some of the great luxury goods companies.

We’re also relatively heavily weighted towards Communication Services and Consumer Staples.

Why Pictet Asset Management?

Pictet-Family brings together the core capabilities of the Pictet group: Family businesses, Global funds, identification of winning market themes and a strong focus on ESG factors.

We know what the drivers of a successful family business are and what characteristics of a family business we are looking for. After all, we have a strong case study right at home: Pictet is a family business and a very successful one.

 

For more information on our Pictet-Family fund, please click here

 

Information, opinions and estimates contained in this document reflect a judgment at the original date of publication and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those presented herein.

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This material is for distribution to professional investors only. However it is not intended for distribution to any person or entity who is a citizen or resident of any locality, state, country or other jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, or use would be contrary to law or regulation. Information used in the preparation of this document is based upon sources believed to be reliable, but no representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of those sources. Any opinion, estimate or forecast may be changed at any time without prior warning.  Investors should read the prospectus or offering memorandum before investing in any Pictet managed funds. Tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each investor and may be subject to change in the future.  Past performance is not a guide to future performance.  The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and is not guaranteed.  You may not get back the amount originally invested. 

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Lombard International Expands its Institutional Solutions Practice

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Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. El coste de riesgo de la banca casi triplica los niveles anteriores a la pandemia

Lombard International Group announced the expansion of its Institutional Solutions Practice (Practice) globally. This will provide institutional investors, based across the globe, with more effective ways to invest in U.S. private markets. Also, “it will assist U.S. and non-U.S. investment managers to raise capital through compliant investment structures that can more efficiently enhance net returns”, stated the firm in a press release.

The Practice focuses on improving global access to U.S. private markets for institutional investors such as pension funds, corporations, sovereign wealth funds, foundations, endowments and funds of funds, to enable their investment allocation to be “more efficient and effective”, says the wealth manager. 

Operating across major global wealth hubs, the Practice is headed up by financial services veteran John Fischer, who leads a multi-disciplined team of senior executives. In the U.S., this includes Tom Wiese, Executive Managing Director; Sandy Geyelin, Executive Managing Director, and C. Penn Redpath, Senior Managing Director. Also, Jason Tsui, Managing Director, will lead the distribution strategy in Asia; Juan Job, Senior Managing Director, will be in charge of Latin American operations; and EMEA will be led by Peter Coates, who recently joined Lombard International as Global Director of Institutional Solutions.

“Institutional Solutions has been one of the key drivers of our growth. We’re excited to launch this internationally expanded Practice across the major global wealth hubs in Asia, Europe, LatAm and the U.S. Our team’s many decades of experience in combining insurance solutions and investment for optimized outcomes, as well as their subject matter expertise in alternative investments, means they are perfectly positioned to assist strategic partners and clients focused on U.S. private markets, which present attractive investment opportunities”, said Stuart Parkinson, Group Chief Executive Officer.

Michael Gordon, US CEO & Global COO, commented that, as markets remain volatile and uncertain, the institutional appetite for U.S. private markets is increasing. “Despite recent events, financial markets remain globally connected, and non-U.S. institutional investors in particular continue to be a key driver of asset flows into U.S. private equity, private debt and real assets. I’m delighted to spearhead the growth of this practice globally, to help institutions better achieve their unique investment objectives”, he added.

Meanwhile, Fischer, Executive Vice President and Head of Distribution, pointed out that their aim with this internationally expanded Practice is to truly make every basis point count. “We have created an effective global offering, using time-tested insurance structures which help investors reduce the friction associated with U.S. private assets, improving investment yields and reducing administrative burdens. Importantly, our solutions are cost-efficient, transparent and highly customizable to the unique needs of institutional investors”, he said.