Asset management

Equipping NEDs to challenge private investment valuations

A recent major board reshuffle in one of Europe’s largest listed investment companies has focused attention on private investment valuations. It follows concerns raised by an ex-director over the robustness of the directors’ processes for approving investment valuations. The issues...

ESG investing: Three risks to consider

The continued popularity of funds with an environmental, social and governance (ESG) focus has put global ESG assets on track to exceed $53tn by 2025, up from nearly $38tn at the end of 20201.   As growth continues, expectations for effective...

ESG investing: From buzzword to mainstream

A growing interest in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues is driving record inflows into the ESG-led investment sector. During 2020, sustainable funds available to European investors attracted net inflows of €233bn1, which saw assets under management hit the $1.1tn...

Are ICOs the New Future of Start-ups?

The term “ICO” is a common buzzword in investment circles these days. While these “Initial Coin Offerings” are distant cousins of IPOs (in the sense that both share the objective of helping firms raise capital from various sources), their likely...

Do Androids Dream of Stock Prices?

We look at the rise of ‘robostocks’ and algorithmic trading, and consider the repercussions on financial markets. An old investment adage mockingly states that “a failed trade becomes a long term investment”. The idea behind it is that if a...

Germany reforms taxation of investment funds

The principle of tax transparency for investment funds will soon be replaced by taxation at fund level with partial exemption for investors. This will also apply to foreign funds with German income. The new rules have been integrated in the...