The latest news in investment offerings, financial products and other services relative to wealth advisors and their clients.

Carne Group, WTW
WTW, an institutional investment solutions firm, and Carne Group, a European management firm and provider of fund regulation and governance solutions, has gained regulatory approval for the launch of a private equity-focused Long Term Asset Fund (LTAF).

The new fund, named the CG WTW Private Equity Access LTAF (CG WTW PEAL), aims to offer institutional and professional investors exposure to private equity primarily through co-investments, allowing them to invest in a range of opportunities, the firm said in a statement. LTAFs are seen as a way of making it easier for investors to enter private markets.  

CG WTW PEAL is the first private capital evergreen, semi-liquid LTAF launched by WTW which has further plans for other solutions to follow for savers across the UK, Europe and internationally. WTW has a track record of investing in private equity for its institutional client base.

The fund has about $850 million of client interest across Europe to date. LifeSight, WTW’s defined contribution (DC) pensions master trust, has agreed to allocate up to 5 per cent of its LifeSight Equity default fund into private equity, the firm added.

WTW thinks that private equity investments, which offer illiquidity and skill premia, provide a good way of helping savers to maximise long-term returns from private markets and a place for long-term illiquid DC asset strategies to start.

The launch of the new private equity LTAF supports broader industry initiatives to align the long-term investment needs of many end investors more effectively, including DC pension savers, by investing into private equity assets that have historically been difficult for DC and private investors to access, the firm said.

“Carne and WTW’s LTAF represents a significant milestone in the opening up of private equity to UK pension savers,” Mark Stockley, chief business development officer at Carne, said. 

Robeco
Rotterdam-headquartered asset manager Robeco has announced the European launch of its first suite of active exchange-traded funds (ETFs), expanding the firm’s offering of research-based sustainable investment solutions. The ETFs are listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, with additional listings, including the London Stock Exchange, anticipated in the coming months, the firm said in a statement.

The launch introduces four active ETFs, including three based on Robeco’s quantitative and enhanced index capabilities – 3D Global Equity UCITS ETF, US Equity UCITS ETF and European Equity UCITS ETF.  Robeco Dynamic Theme Machine UCITS ETF uses Robeco’s advanced Next Gen Quant approach. The firm expects that its 3D Emerging Market ETF will be launched in the first quarter of 2025. These products complement Robeco’s existing mutual fund and mandate offerings.

“Today’s launch marks a pivotal moment for Robeco as we expand our active management expertise into the ETF space. Our new active ETFs are designed to provide optimised outcomes by combining the structural benefits of ETFs with the added value of active management and sustainability,” Karin van Baardwijk, CEO at Robeco, said.

Amundi
European asset manager Amundi has launched two new sub-funds of Amundi: Amundi Funds European Equity and the Amundi Funds Asia Multi-Asset Target Income.

The European Equity fund aims to outperform the MSCI Europe Index benchmark over the medium term to deliver returns by investing in European listed stocks. It is classified as an Article 8 Fund under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). Stocks are selected on the basis of fundamental, bottom-up analysis, being either core (stocks that are considered long-term winners and compounders) or opportunistic holdings (stocks with a clear catalyst and a shorter investment horizon).

The fund will be managed by Fabio Di Giansante, portfolio manager and head of large cap equity and Keith Jackson, portfolio manager, large cap European equities. The European Equity fund is registered in: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK.

The Asia Multi-Asset Target Income fund aims to generate income across Asian asset classes, sectors and countries with a diversified portfolio that uses innovative approaches such as option writing and balanced factor exposure in its stock and bond selection process. It seeks to achieve high income generation with an optimised risk return profile. Asia remains one of the most dynamic regions offering a vast number of investment opportunities in a market which is maturing and highly diversified, the firm said.

This fund, which is classified as an Article 8 Fund under the SFDR, is managed by Florian Neto, senior portfolio manager and head of multi-asset Asia. The Asia Multi-Asset Target Income fund is registered in Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK.

“As the investment universe continues to undergo change, the demand for quality, fundamental active portfolio management that can effectively identify attractive investment cases has increased,” Vincent Mortier, group chief investment officer at Amundi, said.