Foto cedidaBy Edgar Carmona/MPPRE. Chavismo to continue in Venezuela
The much awaited presidential election for Venezuela to select the replacement of the dangerous and volatile Marxist Hugo Chavez is over. But this was not an ordinary election. One candidate, Nicolas Maduro, trained in Cuba and a member of Chavez inner circle was hand picked by both the deceased dictator and his Cuban allies, was challenged by the governor of the state of Miranda, Henrique Capriles, who had considerable democratic support.
At the time of the writing of this editorial, it appears that the Chavistas have once again found a way to remain in power. It is not clear if there is to be a challenge to reports of irregularities in the voting process.
What is certain is that Maduro will continue to take Venezuela down the path of violence and poverty, violating the political and civil rights of all who oppose tyranny and of course will continue to financially support with petrodollars the regime of Raul Castro. At the end of the day, the communist government of Cuba is the real victor. Cuba has been a key player in Venezuelan politics for the last fourteen years; Venezuela gives $4 billion in oil for free to the island nation so it is in Havana’s best interest to ensure that Maduro remains in power.
It is well documented that Cuba sent a number of agents, 2,500 according to the Spanish newspaper ABC, to manipulate the election in favor of Nicolas Maduro. Already Cuba has thousands of agents disguised as medical doctors in the country to ensure that the Castro regime remains in control of the government in Caracas. Sadly, it appears that this will be the case.
Henrique Capriles fought a tough fight but faced the Cuban forces coupled with the political, economic and military interests of the Chavistas in power. The ghost of Chavez, the sympathy vote of those who mourn him was strong. Stronger must be the will of the Venezuelan people who must continue to fight for democracy especially against the foreign interference of the Cuban regime that will stop at nothing to help Maduro remain in power. Venezuela is a victim of that treachery.
Wikimedia CommonsFoto: Ahmed Isse Haji. Los centros financieros del futuro en mercados emergentes
Nearly 40% of the centers included in the Global Financial Centers Index ranking are located in emerging markets. Since these markets gain prominence in the global economy and financial world, GFCI conducted a separate online questionnaire focusing on emerging markets. They asked respondents to indicate which regions they think are most likely to succeed in developing their financial services industry in the next three to five years:
Respondents indicated that China and South Korea would lead the way in Asia/Pacific though they voiced some concerns around currency controls and political stability in China;
In the Middle East/Africa, Qatar and the UAE would appear to have best prospects, followed by Turkey;
In Eastern Europe, Poland seems to be the country to watch most closely;
In Latin America, financial centers in Brazil made good ground in GFCI 13 and are likely to rise further.
GFCI also asked respondents to name their most important considerations when looking to invest in emerging markets. “It is not surprising to see that the most quoted dimensions include regulation, macroeconomic stability, levels of corruption, openness and competitiveness as well as political stability”, emphasizes the survey assessment.
Telegraph. Mexico now has a company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index
Walmart de México y Centroamérica, which has participated in the Sustainable IPC Index of the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) for two years, is now the first and only Mexican company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index.
According to a press realease, Scot Rank, Executive President and CEO of Walmart de México y Centroamérica commented: “Our vision is to contribute to improve the quality of life of the families in Mexico and Central America. We treasure the relation that we have with our Associates, Stockholders, Clients, Suppliers and the Communities where we operate and will keep on working as a socially responsible company. We want our operations to bring as many benefits as possible to our society.”
TheDow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index offers investors a tool to measure the performance of the 69 companies considered as leaders in corporate sustainability. Walmart de México y Centroamérica was selected from among 800 companies from 20 countries.
Mexico’s Stock Market sustainability index (IPC Sustentable) is a list of 29 companies out of 70 evaluated, that outstand the national average on the scores of environment, social responsibility and corporate governance, and that also complied with percentage criteria of floating shares, market floated value and minimum liquidity required.
Foto: Mary Ann Reitano
. El sector público y privado abordarán la situación en los mercados emergentes y maduros
The IIF is pleased to host the 2013 Roundtable on International Capital Markets and Emerging Markets. The Roundtable brings together public officials from both mature and emerging market economies, leaders from the private financial sector, and representatives from international financial institutions.
Participants will discuss economic reform and regulatory policies at the global, regional, and country levels that are critical for sovereign debt crisis prevention, which is a fundamental objective of the Principles for Stable Capital Flows and Fair Debt Restructuring.
This high-level, by-invitation event is organized under the auspices of the Group of Trustees of the Principles. The 2013 Roundtable is generously sponsored by State Street Corporation and Tudor Investment Corporation.
Foto: Diliff
. Los multimillonarios de Hong Kong cuentan con 43.000 millones de dólares en activos en bienes raíces
Against the backdrop of a red hot premium property market, Hong Kong’s ultra wealthy population holds US$43 billion worth of real estate assets, representing 9% of the total net worth of its UHNW population, said Wealth-X in a press release.
Gender representation among Hong Kong UHNWIs is skewed with a female among every 4 UHNWIs. The typical Hong Kong UHNWI is 57 years old, married and self-made with an average net worth of US$150 million and liquid assets of US$34 million. Collectively, Hong Kong UHNWIs own US$52 billion worth of luxury assets, ranging from private aircraft to art and collectibles. The average Hong Kong UHNWI owns US$14 million worth of real estate holdings.
“Among assets, real estate continues to dominate Hong Kong UHNWIs’ luxury portfolios”
Wealth-X CEO, Mykolas D. Rambus said. “The continuing allure of property is very much attributable to wealth creation particularly for Hong Kong where real estate has been the source of wealth for many of Hong Kong’s storied billionaires that include Li Ka Shing, Lee Shau Kee and Cheng Yu Tung”.
Mr Rambus added, “Our analysis shows that UHNWIs above 70 years of age represent 25% of the Hong Kong UHNW population with an average net worth of more than US$100 million. Collectively, they hold more than 40% of the total wealth attributable to hectomillionaires. This means a significant phase of wealth transfer is likely to take place in the next 15-20 years. The ability to understand these UHNWIs and their social networks is key to success in becoming the chosen service provider in the wealth transfer process.”
Marco Ruijer joins the company as Lead Portfolio Manager Hard Currency, building upon the extensive investment expertise and track record of ING IM’s EMD boutique.
Marco has more than 10 years’ experience managing EMD portfolios and joins ING IM from asset manager Mn in the Netherlands where he was Senior Fund Manager, overseeing USD 5 billion in Emerging Market Debt assets.
Hans Stoter, CIO ING Investment Management: “We are pleased to welcome Marco to ING IM. He has an impressive track record in managing Emerging Market Debt portfolios. That, combined with more than a decade of investment experience, makes Marco a valuable addition to our EMD team, which continuously strives to offer client returns exceeding the benchmark.”
Marco joins a team currently managing approximately USD 13 billion* across the full EMD spectrum. Marco will be responsiblefor all of ING IM’s EMD hard currency portfolios globallyand be based in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The EMD Hard Currency strategy forms part of ING IM’s range of specialist emerging markets fixed income strategies, which are built upon the company’s experience in EMD investing and its heritage in emerging markets.
Marco obtained a Master’s degree in International Financial Economics from the University of Amsterdam in 1999 and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Foto: Keuchhustus . Boutique Asset Managers launch GBAM to help compete with global players
Boutique asset managers met in Spain on Thursday and Friday to form a self-help group to enable them to compete more effectively internationally with more dominant global players and to foster cooperation among themselves to increase their competitiveness. The boutiques have agreed to form an association which they have called: “Group of Boutique Asset Managers” or ‘GBAM’, said the new association in a press release.
The inaugural meeting of GBAM was led by March Gestión de Fondos– the asset management arm of the Spanish private bank, Banca March, and supported by other attendees from LatAm, Europe and Asia. Having set-up the organisation GBAM is now seeking other ‘like-minded’ boutiques.
The formation of GBAM is in response to theincreasing polarization of the asset management world between big asset managers with a broad range of capabilities and small specialist boutiques with a limited range of investment strategies (the “Barbell” effect)1. One aspect of the Barbell effect (often highlighted by commentators) is the ability of those managers caught in the ‘middle ground’ to survive. Less well appreciated, is the position of world class boutique asset managers whose voices (and successful investment strategies) are less well heard in world markets, given the dominance of powerful, well resourced, global players.
In response to this dominance, GBAM has been formed to foster cooperation among like-minded boutique/specialist asset managers. The managers who met in Spain are ‘like-minded’ in that they all share a performance driven culture, are generally recognised for their talent, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. Crucially, all have interest in expanding their businesses internationally, and so all face similar challenges in terms of managing to do so on limited resources. By coming together to share information2, the Group believes its members will be in a better position than they otherwise might have been.
The chief executive of asset manager March Gestión de Fondos, José Luis Jimenez said:
“Asset management is an exciting business given the levels of competition amongst the firms – large and small. And all of us seek to offer the very best strategies to investors. But while the boutiques represented in GBAM are happy to compete with the very best, we have to appreciate that the investors around the world may not be in a position to access boutiques managers as easily as the big firms. On the one hand, small players cannot be available everywhere and on the other, as a consequence of the crisis, many distributors’ prefer well-known names because it is easier to pick up a strong brand recognised by investors”.
“GBAM is not interested in involving itself in lobbying or competing with our national or international trade organizations. Rather, it is just a group of like-minded people who want to discuss important things in an open way and exchange ideas – our only goal being to improve our businesses on behalf of our clients and partners.
“Excellent world class boutique mangers can grow, even in a sector dominated by big players, providing they can offer greater added value that them. Performance plays a critical part, but equally being the first to discover new and interesting investment propositions or the strong alignment of interest that boutique managers have with their clients, is an attractive proposition,” said Jimenez.
Foto: Ziko-C . Rudolf Molkenboer es nombrado presidente y CEO de ING Financial Holdings
Rudolf Molkenboer has been appointed President & CEO of ING Financial Holdings Corporation, effective March 18, 2013. ING Financial Holdings Corporation is a subsidiary of ING Group, a global financial institution of Dutch origin, offering a full range of financial services. In his new role, Molkenboer will oversee the firm’s business activities in the United States, which include structured finance, commercial lending, and financial markets sales and trading, and also has regional responsibility for the firm’s businesses in Latin America. He is based in New York and reports to Diederik van Wassenaer , ING’s Global Head of Clients & Network.
Molkenboer, 50, previously served as Global Head of Real Estate Finance (REF), ING Commercial Banking, based in The Hague, The Netherlands, and was primarily responsible for the successful integration of the global REF business into ING’s Commercial Banking platform. He joined ING in 2007 as Global Head of the Event Finance team, which assist in structuring transactions for ING clients globally. Previously, Molkenboer led the Media Benelux sector team at ABN Amro from 2001 to 2007. He began his career at Price Waterhouse as a tax advisor in the international tax practice.
“Rudolf has a proven track record of creating and expanding client-focused businesses for our operations,” said Diederik van Wassenaer . “His managerial, lending and business skills, combined with his extensive experience leveraging ING’s global network and services to clients, make him ideally suited to build on our solid business platform in the Americas.”
Foto: Detroit Publishing Co. Thaddeus Shelly se une a Tiedemann Wealth Management en Palm Beach
Tiedemann Wealth Management announced the appointment of Thaddeus R. Shelly, III as a Managing Director and Senior Advisor. In this role, Mr. Shelly will be based in Tiedemann Wealth Management’s Palm Beach office and responsible for developing and maintaining client relationships.
“Thad is a very talented, well-respected leader who will provide our clients with trusted, objective wealth management solutions”
Mr. Shelly joins Tiedemann from Lazard, where he served as a Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lazard Wealth Management, overseeing the Firm’s private wealth management effort in the U.S. Prior to joining Lazard in 2009, he was a Senior Managing Director at Bessemer Trust where he oversaw all client acquisition and account management for their Mid-Atlantic, South and Southeast regions and their Delaware Trust Company.
Before joining Bessemer, Mr. Shelly was the Founder and Director of Private Client Services at Legg Mason from 1992 to 1998. He began his career in Goldman Sachs’ Private Wealth Management business in 1984.
“Thad is a very talented, well-respected leader who will provide our clients with trusted, objective wealth management solutions,” said James Bertles, a Principal of the Firm. “His 29 years of private wealth management experience and expertise offer a unique perspective that will further enhance our industry-leading client services and national presence.”
Ryan, a global tax services firm with the largest indirect tax practice in North America, announced a strategic alliance with Godoy & Hoyos Abogados, a Latin American tax law firm based in Colombia, with significant experience in tax planning, tax consulting, tax litigation, and foreign trade issues. This strategic alliance will support the continued growth of Ryan’s International Tax practice throughout Latin America. Godoy & Hoyos Abogados is a three-time recipient of the Colombian Tax Litigation Firm of the Year award and also received the 2012 Colombian Tax Firm of the Year award, both sponsored by the International Tax Review. They will support Ryan’s ability to deliver higher levels of value and results for the Firm’s expanding portfolio of multinational clients and provide business development opportunities to extend the Firm’s North American leadership position in tax services to Colombia.
“We are proud to deploy the leading experts from Godoy & Hoyos Abogados across Colombia, as partners in support of our international tax engagements,” said Todd E. Behrend, Ryan’s International Tax Practice Leader. “Their leadership in tax services will help drive substantial added value for our multinational clients.”
“Ryan already provides tax services to many of the world’s leading global companies, and the partnership with Godoy & Hoyos Abogados will deliver tremendous value through additional Colombian international tax solutions,” said Brendan F. Moore , Ryan Executive Vice President and Vice Chairman of Global Corporate Development. “The trust that Ryan has earned by delivering superior results for these multinational clients drives our commitment to dramatically expand Ryan’s international tax services.”
“We are proud to reinforce our international tax services with the expertise and best-in-class solutions of Godoy & Hoyos Abogados,” said G. Brint Ryan, Chairman and CEO of Ryan. “The firm is an exceptional strategic partner that will strengthen our international capabilities and support our expansion into Colombia.”
Godoy & Hoyos Abogados is a law firm with a team of highly qualified practitioners who are national leaders in their respective fields with years of work experience supporting national and international companies. Established in 2004, the main practice areas of the firm are tax, corporate, commercial, competition, civil, insurance, and oil and gas law. With a versatile and innovative approach based on knowledge and research, the firm supports clients in their processes and critical decisions by identifying effective, prudent, and timely legal solutions. The firm assists clients with corporate issues (mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, and other corporate matters), competition, corporate governance, foreign investment, international trade, oil and gas, insurance, commercial, and civil law.
Ryan is an award-winning global tax services firm, with the largest indirect tax practice in North America and the seventh largest corporate tax practice in the United States. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides a comprehensive range of state, local, federal, and international tax advisory and consulting services on a multi-jurisdictional basis, including audit defense, tax recovery, credits and incentives, tax process improvement and automation, tax appeals, tax compliance, and strategic planning. Ryan is a three-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan’s multi-disciplinary team of more than 1,600 professionals and associates serves over 9,000 clients in 40 countries, including many of the world’s most prominent Global 5000 companies.
