A wave of digitalisation is pushing venture capital to the fore, building capital raisings and deal-making momentum, according to the latest information and views collected by Preqin. The global research firm which specialises in alternatives, has a growing presence in the Asia Pacific region, including an office in Sydney opened last year. It held a…
Citi has incorporated ESG scores into its global securities services data platform, Citi Velocity Clarity, allowing clients to analyse the sustainability exposure of their holdings at the portfolio and security level. It’s unique to Citi and proving popular with clients. The new capability, which Citi believes is unique among major asset servicing providers, is proving popular with clients, the firm said in…
The Insurance Commission of Western Australia (ICWA) is undertaking a review of its asset servicing contract, currently with BNP Paribas Securities Services. The review is being undertaken with advice from JANA Investment Advisers, overseen by senior consultant Jo Leaper, who heads up operational consulting. Julie O’Neill, ICWA’s CIO, is overseeing the process from the client’s…
While a combination of factors is driving the alternatives investment sector towards full maturity, pressure is also mounting on fund manager and investor capabilities for efficiency and governance. According to a short paper by Northern Trust’s asset servicing arm, the weight of money into alternatives leading to a broadening investor base, regulators and increasing congestion…
Michael Ohlsson has become a shareholder and executive director of Evergreen Consultants, the wholesale specialist asset advisory, ratings and research business co-founded by Angela Ashton in 2016. The firm has expanded rapidly in the past five years, last year launching a separate subsidiary to concentrate on ratings and research for non-mainstream products and managers, which…
Value managers are hopeful that, following the second consecutive quarter of the factor’s outperformance, their world has returned to normal. Value may well be back. For the March quarter, for Australian shares, the S&P/ASX 200 value factor index was up 8.50 per cent, making a 12-month return of 42.71 per cent. The S&P/ASX 200 growth…
The theme for this year’s Chant West Awards is ‘resilience’. With the big challenges largely thrust upon them – regulatory changes, political sniping and the COVID crisis – the last year has probably been the toughest ever for super funds. A casual observer of the industry, getting most of his or her information on changes…
“They did what they have always set out to do. They helped their members to achieve a good outcome. And they came to the party at a time it was important to do so,” said Ian Fryer as he oversaw judging of the Chant West Awards for 2021. Speaking last week (April 7) as funds…
As the ESG investment world prepares for what may come out of the COP26 climate change conference in November, Martin Currie has set out the four major challenges in making the transition to net zero emissions. In its ‘Net Zero: From Policy to Action‘ research note published this month, which is part of its four-part…
As Ninety One, the former Investec Asset Management, celebrates its first year as an independently listed company, the Australian operation has also demonstrated one of the many advantages of that independence. The global parent investment bank, still the major shareholder in the global asset management firm, last week confirmed the sale of its Australian loan…