Pixabay CC0 Public DomainCourtesy photo. Facebook: The New Central Bank?
Facebook has become an essential part of our social, cultural, economic and political spheres. Now it is looking to become our new global payment system. This was the announcement that came last week from the Libra Association (led by Facebook) along with a whitepaper about the creation of a new cryptocurrency called Libra and its accompanying digital wallet, Calibra.
The first digital currency, Bitcoin, was followed by many others: Ethereum, Dodgecoin, Litecoin, Ripple, XEM, Dash, Monero, Petro, etc. Apparently, we will now have one more as early as the first half of 2020. However, this is not going to be just “one more” as Libra looks more like a fiat currency than a cryptocurrency. In other words, with the gold standard consigned to the history books, along comes the all-powerful Facebook to create a digital currency backed by a basket of financial assets.
Facebook is not alone in this endeavour. Companies like Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Spotify, eBay, Vodafone, Booking, Mercado Pago and Thrive Capital are among the 28 founding members of the Libra Association that will govern Libra. The goal is to reach 100 members before the official launch of the digital currency. Besides the sheer weight of the consortium of businesses backing the currency, if we add into the equation the 2.32 billion active users enjoyed by Facebook each month (one third of the world’s population), it is not hard to image the potential reach of this new cryptocurrency.
In many respects, the use of blockchain technology for Libra is quite different from the other digital currencies we know about today. Quite the opposite, in fact. The Libra whitepaper rejects the idea of anonymity and secrecy in transactions and the Libra Association has already confirmed its collaboration with financial regulators to prevent money laundering and tax avoidance.
A further crucial difference with Libra is the backing of a reserve of low volatility assets including bank deposits and short-term government debt in stable currencies like the dollar, euro, Swiss franc and yen. That said, we will need to have faith that the Libra Association will maintain these assets, record transactions and that Libra itself will be fungible, etc. Ultimately, this is the same faith we currently have in the central banks, except for a couple of important distinctions: Facebook is a private entity but it will hold some underlying assets, whereas central banks are public bodies but they do not hold assets that fully support currency issuance.
Of course, misgivings and controversies are already springing up regarding matters like data protection and the use of information in such a high-profile project. Let us not forget that Facebook possesses a vast archive of personal data from its users, about whom it knows practically everything. Many of us have not forgotten about the fines imposed on Facebook by the European Union for controversies like this and the scandal surrounding Cambridge Analytica, the consulting firm that unlawfully used information gathered from 87 million Facebook users.
Following the announcement of Libra’s creation, it is inevitable that the reflections that have been floating around for some time regarding cryptocurrencies come to the forefront once again. For example, questions are being asked about the implications for central banks and monetary policy in the event of the widespread use of a payment system like Libra, which employs blockchain technology although with a different objective to other digital currencies like Bitcoin. At first glance, it may look like an attempt to undermine the power of central banks. But curiously, as one analyst has already pointed out, in the context of a financial crisis, it could reinforce the impact of negative interest rates as it would eliminate the possibility of hoarding physical currency and other means of avoiding negative rates.
According to the whitepaper on the creation of Libra, it is “a simple global currency and financial infrastructure that empowers billions of people”. For now it is just a fledgling project, but it is certainly an interesting one.
Margaret Franklin, courtesy photo. Margaret Franklin Becomes First Woman to Lead the CFA Institute
CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, has appointed Margaret Franklin, CFA, as its new CEO and President, the first woman to hold the position in its 73-year history. She will assume the role on September 2, 2019, taking over from Paul Smith.
Marg Franklin has been a leader in the investment management industry for 28 years, most recently as President of BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Canada and head of International Wealth Management in North America. Her deep practitioner experience has been gained at firms ranging from large, global asset managers to start ups, including Marret Private Wealth, State Street Global Advisors and Barclays Global Investors. Her work has included advising individuals, families, pension plans, endowments, foundations and government agencies.
Marg’s experience with CFA Institute also runs deep. In 2011, Ms. Franklin was chair of the Board of Governors of CFA Institute, which is a volunteer position, and is a member of CFA Society Toronto, where she has also served on its board. She is a founding member of the CFA Institute Women in Investment Initiative, a past recipient of its Alfred C. Morley Distinguished Service Award in 2014, and a member of its Future of Finance Content Council.
Franklin said: “I am honored to assume the leadership of CFA Institute whose mission to promote the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence is more important than ever as our industry faces disruption from many quarters. I look forward to applying my wide-ranging experience as a practitioner and extensive knowledge of the organization in the service of its mission and members.”
“Marg joins CFA Institute at a time when candidate growth and our global society network are at all-time highs,” said Heather Brilliant, CFA, chair of the board of governors of CFA Institute. “We thank Paul for his work to promote the CFA charter and fair and functioning markets all over the world. He leaves a strong organization ready to address the challenges of markets and economies in flux, passing the baton to Marg Franklin, a proven leader.”
Franklin will join the organization on September 2. Smith, who previously announced his departure at the end of 2019, will remain in an advisory capacity to the CEO until December 31, 2019.
Pixabay CC0 Public DomainPhoto: Actinver. Legg Mason and Actinver Announce Strategic Alliance in Mexico
Legg Mason and Corporación Actinver announced the signing of a strategic alliance agreement that will allow Actinver to manage and make available to its clients in Mexico funds using investment advice provided by Legg Mason-affiliated asset managers.
Based in Mexico City, Actinver is a fully integrated financial services firm providing private and wealth banking, asset management, wealth management and investment banking services. It’s Mexico’s largest private bank in terms of number of clients and the second largest in terms of number of branches.
“This exclusive agreement provides Mexican investors with a robust lineup of funds featuring investment strategies designed and maintained by world-class investment managers,” said Alonso Madero, CEO of Actinver’s Asset Management Unit. “By expanding access to international markets, we’re enhancing opportunities for diversification.”
Funds that are managed by Actinver using investment models provided by three Legg Mason affiliates — ClearBridge Investments, Martin Currie and Western Asset — are now available to retail investors in Mexico.
“With the population of Mexico as well as the number of people accessing banking services expected to increase over the next 20 years, we see substantial growth potential in the country,” said Lars Jensen, Legg Mason’s Head of Americas International. “We’re thrilled to partner with Actinver, and we’ll continue to develop additional solutions for the Mexican investor together.”
The funds available via Actinver are as follows:
SALUD, which is designed to deliver long-term capital appreciation through investments in companies involved in all aspects of healthcare and the life sciences. In managing the fund, Actinver is advised by New York-based ClearBridge Investments. With a legacy dating back over 50 years, ClearBridge is a leading global equity manager committed to delivering differentiated long-term results through authentic active management.
ESFERA, which seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation through the active management of a portfolio of global companies, taking a long-term, unconstrained investment approach, with an expected low portfolio turnover and investment horizon of five years or more. In managing the fund, Actinver is advised by Martin Currie of Edinburgh, Scotland. Martin Currie builds global, stock-driven portfolios based on fundamental research, devoting all of its resources to delivering optimum investment outcomes and superior client relationships.
ESCALA, which is designed to preserve capital and reduce interest-rate risk while delivering income opportunities by investing in laddered, short-term, U.S. dollar-denominated, investment-grade corporate bonds. In managing the fund, Actinver is advised by Western Asset, one of the world’s leading global fixed-income managers. Founded in 1971, Western Asset has been recognized for its team-based approach, intensive proprietary research and robust risk management.
“We are delighted with the Actinver partnership which we are entering into with Legg Mason,” said Julian Ide, Chief Executive Officer of Martin Currie. “This is a strong validation of the power of Martin Currie’s investment capabilities and Legg Mason’s distribution relationships.”
“The Mexican asset management industry is still under-developed compared to those in other countries so the opportunities are enormous,” added Actinver’s Madero. “By working together, Actinver and Legg Mason are encouraging the development of the market and, by extension, helping with the economic development of the country.”
Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. Funds Society Presents its 2019 Asset Manager’s Guide NRI
Funds Society is proud to present the third edition of its Asset Manager’s Guide NRI, a comprehensive list of asset management firms providing UCITS investment solutions to investment professionals in the wealth management non resident industry.
During the last twelve months we have seen more stability than in previous years, when we saw several mega mergers. The movement of sales professionals from one firm to another has, nevertheless, continued. Additionally, several investment firms have upgraded their office space in Miami, and others have recently decided to establish themselves here, showing the strength of this city as an offshore hub for the Americas.
To help you keep track of all these changes we have put together a thorough list of almost 60 international asset management firms who do business in the NRI market through their UCITS range of products, and their contacts.
We are also presenting additional information from 15 of these firms stating their business proposal for the Americas region.
You can access the 52 pages of the guide using this link.
Pixabay CC0 Public DomainPhoto: Petr Kratochvil CC0. Bolton Expands NYC Presence with Morgan Stanley Hires
Bolton Global Capital is pleased to announce that Michel Palacci has joined the firm’s Manhattan office. Palacci was formerly with Morgan Stanley where he managed assets of $125 million. His international high net worth clientele is based in Europe, Latin America and the US. He joined Morgan Stanley in 2009 after 10 year career at Citigroup Global Markets.
Last month, Bolton recruited Daniel Geller, also from Morgan Stanley in New York City with $430 million in client assets. He is affiliating with a team of former Morgan Stanley advisors Ruben Lerner and Manual Uranga who joined Bolton in 2017 and manage over $250 million in client assets. The firm also recruited Nicholas Schreiber from Morgan Stanley in 2018 who is located at Bolton’s Fifth Avenue office where Michel Palacci will operate his business.
Since opening offices in Miami and New York City, Bolton has recruited more than two dozen international teams from the major US banks and wirehouses. The firm offers turnkey office space and a full suite of global wealth management capabilities to allow teams to easily transition to the independent business model where they can achieve higher compensation and greater ownership of their business. This model is the fastest growing segment of the US wealth management industry and Bolton has sustained a 20 percent annual growth rate over the last 5 years by focusing on teams at the major banks and wirehouses that specialize in international business.
Pixabay CC0 Public DomainFrom left, Brian P. Westcoat, CFP®, CPFA; Lynn Muzio, Enclave Wealth Advisors Client Service Specialist; Terry C. Murray, CFP®. $275 Million Former Merrill Lynch Team Joins Sanctuary Wealth
Enclave Wealth Advisors, the investment advisory team led by industry veterans Terry C. Murray, CFP® and Brian P. Westcoat, CFP®, CPFA, will join Sanctuary Wealth. The Walnut Creek, California-based group will be the first of many breakaway advisory teams to join Sanctuary’s network of advisors in June.
Enclave is an independent wealth management firm dedicated to providing highly personalized service and sophisticated wealth management solutions, which are designed to be optimized to each clients’ individual investment goals. The team manages $275 million client assets, generating $1.6 million in revenue.
“We are very excited to join Sanctuary. We have access to technology and business solutions that were not available to us before and that will only augment our clients’ overall experience,” Murray said.
“Doing what is best for our clients and acting as fiduciaries has always been our top priority. Sanctuary was the right strategic partner to guide us on our path to independence,” Westcoat said. “We believe that we’ll be able to grow successfully with access to an expanded range of investment options, operational support, and client services through Sanctuary, which will enable us to maintain our client focus and continue to deliver best-in-class advice.”
“We are very impressed by the team at Enclave, and I am honored to welcome them to join Sanctuary. We believe their strong client-centric approach makes them an ideal fit for our network,” said Sanctuary CEO and founder Jim Dickson.
“Both Terry and Brian have significant investment expertise and operate with a fiduciary mindset, making them invaluable to their clients and to the Sanctuary community. We very much look forward to working with them, helping them grow their business, and having them expand our network into California.”
Pixabay CC0 Public DomainPhoto: PexelsCC0. Thornburg Funds Launch on Allfunds Platform
Thornburg Investment Management, a global investment firm with $44 billion in assets under management as of the end of Q119, is pleased to announce that its Ireland-domiciled range of UCITS funds have been added to the Allfunds platform, the world’s largest institutional fund distribution network and the largest European platform.
Thornburg has also widened its global distribution footprint in Europe. In addition to availability for investors in Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, Thornburg’s suite of eight UCITS funds are now accessible to investors in Denmark, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway.
“Greater availability of our global equity, fixed income, multi-asset and alternative investment solutions, particularly across Europe, is an important step to making Thornburg’s investment strategies more accessible to investors,” said Carter Sims, global head of distribution at Thornburg. “We are excited to partner with Allfunds to offer our highly active and benchmark agnostic UCITS funds to intermediary and institutional investors across the globe.”
Thornburg’s range of UCITS funds available through Allfunds include:
Thornburg Investment Income Builder Fund is a globally oriented portfolio whose aim is to provide an attractive and growing income stream, with capital appreciation, over time. A dynamic blend of global dividend-paying stocks and bonds of virtually any type, this fund is broadly flexible in pursuit of its objectives.
Thornburg Global Opportunities Fund is a flexible and focused equity portfolio with holdings selected on a bottom-up basis via a disciplined, value-based framework.
Thornburg Global Quality Dividend Fund is a bottom-up, value-oriented, focused portfolio of dividend-paying stocks from around the world in a broad search for attractive dividend yield.
Thornburg International Equity Fund is a focused, diversified portfolio of leading, mostly large-cap international companies, selected via a fundamentally driven, bottom- up, valuation-sensitive process.
Thornburg Developing World Fund is a balanced approach to investing in emerging markets, built on a concentrated portfolio of leading companies at attractive valuations selected to manage risk while still pursuing a differentiated return.
Thornburg Limited Term Income Fund is a flexible, actively managed, core portfolio of high-quality U.S. dollar-denominated bonds.
Thornburg Strategic Income Fund is a global, income-oriented fund with a flexible mandate focused on paying an attractive, sustainable yield. The portfolio invests in a combination of income-producing securities with an emphasis on higher-yielding fixed income.
Thornburg Long/Short Equity Fund, a U.S. equity long/short fund that combines tenets of both growth and value investing to pursue long-term capital appreciation.
Thornburg Investment Management is a privately-owned global investment firm that offers a range of multi-strategy solutions for institutions and financial advisors. A recognized leader in fixed income, equity, and alternatives investing, the firm oversees $44 billion as of March 31, 2019 across mutual funds, institutional accounts, separate accounts for high-net-worth investors, and UCITS funds for non-U.S. investors. Thornburg was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
According to a company statement: “At Thornburg, we believe unconstrained investing leads to better outcomes for our clients. Our culture is collaborative, and our investment solutions are highly active, high conviction, and benchmark agnostic. When it comes to finding value for our clients, it’s more than what we do, it’s how we do it: how we think, how we invest, and how we’re structured.”
Pixabay CC0 Public DomainCourtesy photo. Aeromexico Launches Private Jet Card in Partnership with Delta Jets
Aeromexico Group has partnered with Aerolíneas Ejecutivas to launch Aeromexico Private Jets, an offering that will include a jet card product. For domestic U.S. flights, Aeromexico jet card customers will utilize Delta Private Jets aircraft and crews to avoid cabotage issues.
In a press release, Aeromexico said, “We are proud to present Aeroméxico Private Jets, a new private aviation service in conjunction with Aerolíneas Ejecutivas, which combines the best of both worlds: the experience and premium service of the Mexican flag carrier with the flexibility of Aerolíneas Ejecutivas, a leading aviation company private for more than 50 years.”
Aeromexico said the new product is aimed at corporate clients, entrepreneurs, and companies seeking personalized service at any time they need it. It notes, “The service will work through the Jet Card Aeromexico, a prepaid card where customers can make use of their flight hours in a private jet operated by Executive Airlines.”
Available jet types include the Hawker 400XP (8 passengers) and Beechcraft Premier A1 (6 passengers); Learjet 75/45 and Hawker 800XP (both 9 passengers), and Bombardier Challenger 605 (12 passengers).
Jet card users can also apply their balance for tickets on Aeromexico to more than 90 destinations the airline flies.
Pixabay CC0 Public DomainPhoto: U.S. Air Force by Senior Airman Joshua Eikren. SEC Approves 3 to 1 the New Regulation on Conflicts of Interest for Brokers
While the SEC has allowed for years that brokers call themselves financial advisors without requiring them to disclose all conflicts of interest or put the interests of the clients above their own financial rewards, those times are over.
This Wednesday, the SEC voted 3 to one in favor of the so-called “Regulation Best Interest”, a regulation that will require brokers to act in the best interest of investors and disclose more about conflicts of interest that may arise and potentially divert the advice they give.
The SEC said the new rule aims to provide investors with more information about complex payment incentives and other practices that can influence a broker’s advice, without upsetting Wall Street’s commission-based sales model.
The SEC did not impose brokers with a higher fiduciary duty than that applied to investment advisors, who, unlike brokers, receive a payment for managing assets on an ongoing basis.
Although the brokers and advisors will continue to be governed by two rules, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said that the best interests rule brings brokers’ one closer to the one advisors have. “We elevate, improve and clarify these obligations in an integral way, this action was long overdue”.
The final regulation for brokers does not require that they recommend mutual funds or other types of lower cost products; Cost is just one of the factors that brokers must consider to ensure that advice meets the best interests of a customer.
This Thursday it is expected that the fiduciary obligation of investment advisers will be defined.
Pixabay CC0 Public DomainPhoto: PxHere CC0. Out of 129 CKDs, Only 15 Have had IIRs Above 10% so Far
The assets under management of the 10 AFOREs in Mexico amount to 186.771 million dollars at the end of April 2019, according to CONSAR. The AFOREs can invest 18% in CKDs and CERPIs as an average because each Siefore has his own limit.
The AFOREs at the end of April 2019, have investments in CKDS and CERPIs that represent 6.0% of their portfolio and have commitments that amount to approximately 5.5%, which establishes a potential market for investing 6.5% (10.272 billion dollars).
There is a total of 129 CKDs with a market value of 12.631 million dollars (md) according to the information prepared with data from the Mexican Stock Exchange and the issuers as of April 30.
Of these 129 CKDs 21 are CERPIs which have the characteristic that as of January 2018 they can invest 90% of the resources they manage abroad and 10% in Mexico. Currently the value of CERPIs is 791 million dollars of which 18 were issued in 2018 (81%); so far only 2 in 2019 and one in 2016.
Of the 21 CERPIS there are 11 fund of funds, 6 of Private equity, 3 of infrastructure and only 1 of real state that was born in 2016 before the changes of 2018.
Due to this change, 2018 is the year with the highest issuance of CKDs (38) and the highest amount committed in one year (6.869 million dollars).
As issuers of CERPIs we can find names like: Blackstone (4 CERPIs); KKR (3); BlackRock (2); General Atlantic (2); Lexington Partners (2); Spruceview (1); Partners Group (1); Glisco Discovery (1); Discovery Capital (1); Global Capital (1); Motal Engil (1); Mexico Infrastructure Partners (1) and MIRA Manager (1).
In the CKD universe, the sector with the largest amount committed is real state, which represents 25% of the total, followed by the infrastructure sector (19%); private capital (18%); fund of funds and energy (13% respectively); credit (11%) and the primary sector with 1% of the total issued.
The CKD performance is complex given that each one has its own characteristics (sector, economic cycle, year of issue, degree of advance of investments, leverage, among others), which makes comparisons difficult. Despite this, the comparisons open the conversation with the GP about their performance in the period being compared.
The comparisons must be made with public information since it allows equal circumstances.
The way to calculate the performance of the CKDs with public information is calculating the IRR of each one (inflows and outflows of money to the CKD in the time of life that it has). In the 10 years of life that CKDs have, it is important to mention that between 2009 and 2012 they were pre-funded and since 2012 they were allowed to make capital calls, leaving the first CKD under this modality in July 2012. Homero Elizondo expert in CKDs estimated that the change reduced the cost between 200 and 500 basis point.
If all the CKDs are grouped by year of issue, the years that stand out are:
The 4 CKDs that came out in 2009 have a IRR of 9.8% in simple average and unweighted to the assets under management of each CKDs;
The 8 CKDs that came out in 2010 have an IRR of 7.6% on average;
The 4 CKDs of 2013 have a IRR of 7.3%;
The 19 CKDs of 2015 have an average IRR of 6.3% and
The 5 of 2011 have a IRR of 5.9% to mention the most profitable years of the last decade.
The results of the first three years of life of the CKDs is likely that are due to the fact that they are the ones that have lived the longest (between 7 and 10 years of life). When reviewing by sectors you can see:
In the case of real state, the CKDs that were born between 2010 and 2013 bring average IRR per year between 6% and almost 9%.
For the infrastructure CKDs, two-digit average IRRs can be seen in at least three years: 2012 (21.9%), 2009 (11.5%) and 2015 (10.0%).
In the energy sector, although the average IRR of the 3 CKDs in 2015 is 10.3%, the case of the CKD that was issued in 2012 have a negative IRR of 57.8% stands out.
For private equity CKDs, there are two years with IRR slightly above 9% (2010 and 2012).
For credit CKDs, 2010 and 2012 stand out with IRRs of 8.0% and 10.0% respectively.
In the CKDs that are fund of funds, the highest TIR is 2012 with 4.3%.
In the primary sector where there are only 2 CKDs, only the 2008 issue is the one with an IRR of 4.4%.
Only 15 of a total of 129 CKDs, are identified with a greater IRR than 10% as of April 30.
In real state the two CKDs of Grupo Inmobiliario MEXIGS (IGSCK_11 and IGSCK_11-2) and FINSA (FINSACK_12) have a IRR higher of 10%.
