M&G Investments has named Kelly Hébert to be its new head of France, subject to regulatory approval. Expanding her current role leading both Belgium and Luxembourg, Hébert (pictured above) will be based in Paris and continue to report to Neal Brooks, global head of product & distribution at M&G. Having joined the business in 2014,…
Europe is set to experience “weak development” across many of its equity sectors this year, according to forecasts from ING. In What to expect from European sectors in 2024, the financial services giant indicated the manufacturing, staffing and construction sectors were likely to witness declines, even as transport and retail are set to see a…
Investors should be looking to target real estate for the potential to “secure prime assets at discounts”, Savills has argued. In European Property Themes 2024, the firm said investors would be “rewarded” if they choose to “ride the wave of yield compression” in the second half of the year. It also laid out its top…
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at the Davos meeting in Switzerland this week on the potential for long-term foreign investment into the country. The president appeared onstage at the event to argue that a strengthening of Ukraine’s economy would lead to a strengthening in the security of Europe. He also spoke of the need for…
Europe must recover its competitiveness if it is to maintain its status as a global leader on sustainability and inclusion, analysis by McKinsey has concluded. According to Accelerating Europe: Competitiveness for a New Era, unless growth is re-energised, the standard of living across the continent could end up eroded. The report argued that Europe’s competitive…
A new ruling from the French government around ESG investing could potentially lead to forced divestments worth billions of euros. As the Financial Times recently reported, the country has decided funds under its ‘L’investissement socialement responsible’ (ISR) label will no longer be able to put money into hydrocarbon exploration, exploitation or refining projects. Companies that…
New statistics from the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) indicate net assets within Europe saw a shallower decline than those in the US over the third quarter of last year. Figures released as part of the trade body’s International Quarterly Statistics show that, while net assets within Europe fell 0.6% compared with Q2…
European venture capital firm Sofinnova has launched Biovelocita, an investment strategy dedicated to the creation and acceleration of biotech startups in Europe. The firm said it had a created a new team for Biovelocita and the new venture was inspired by Italy’s first biotech accelerator, BiovelocITA, co-founded by Gabriella Camboni, Silvano Spinelli and Sofinnova Partners…
BNP Paribas has launched a portfolio aiming to help fund projects and businesses involved in energy transition and climate-change mitigation. The BNP Paribas Climate Impact Infrastructure Debt fund will be structured as a Luxembourg Reserved Alternative Investment Fund and classified as ‘Article 9’ under the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. The bank added it would be…
German businesses are “significantly” reducing their investment plans, according to the latest economic survey from the country’s ifo Institute. The Munich-based organisation said the investment climate within Germany had “deteriorated noticeably” as a result of higher financing costs, weak demand and uncertainty around economic policy. Companies that specialise in trade, it said, were the most…
North Macedonia has launched its own energy transition investment platform, making the announcement to coincide with COP28. The country said it now aimed, by the end of the decade, to have phased out coal, adding 1.7GW of renewable energy, and strengthened its grid. The move is being supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and…
VBDO benchmark finds 34% lacked ‘proper ESG integration in tax matters’, writes Natasha Turner European companies are becoming ever-more responsible taxpayers, but a third still lack proper ESG integration on tax matters, this year’s Tax Transparency Benchmark has found. The benchmark, which has been published by the Association of Investors for Sustainable Development (VBDO) and PwC, this…
