Exchange-traded funds hit record $13.14 trillion assets
Research and consultancy firm ETFGI reported that the global ETF (exchange-traded funds) industry gathered $136.17 billion in net inflows in June 2024, bringing year to date…
Berlin’s AUTO1 Group in €223m car loan securitisation
Berlin-based AUTO1 Group SE, the giant digital automotive platform for buying and selling used cars, announced the successful pricing of its first-ever securitisation of German…
Axel Springer, KKR ‘in talks to break up media group’
Axel Springer CEO Mathias Doepfner and private equity firm KKR are in talks to break up the giant Berlin-based media conglomerate, according to a report…
51% of German transactions still made with cash
About 51% of all transactions in Germany in 2023 were settled using banknotes and coins, according to the Bundesbank’s latest study on payment behaviour in…
European Commission proposes €200bn EU budget
The European Commission said it has proposed an annual EU budget of €199.7 billion for 2025. “The budget will be complemented by an estimated €72 billion…
Blow for EU as MSCI excludes its bonds from indexes
The European Union’s borrowing costs rose on Thursday as global index compiler MSCI decided to leave EU debt securuties out of its government bond indexes….
European Investment Fund in €1bn Finland SME boost
The European Investment Fund (EIF) said it has finalised agreements with eight leading banks and financial institutions in Finland to assist small and medium-sized enterprises…
Reaction as European Central Bank cuts rates to 3.75%
The European Central Bank on Thursday confirmed a reduction in interest rates — despite lingering inflationary pressures in the euro zone. The move takes the…
Euronext completes Global Rate Set Systems acquisition
Euronext, the pan-European market infrastructure, announced it has completed the acquisition of 75% of the share capital of New Zealand-based Global Rate Set Systems (GRSS),…
Global company dividends hit Q1 record of $339bn
Global company dividends climbed to a first-quarter record of $339.2 billion, according to the latest Global Dividend Index from Janus Henderson. The firm has made…
N American fund managers look to Europe to raise funds
North American fund managers are increasingly looking to raise funds in Europe as they seek to broaden their investor base, according to new research from…
Microsoft invests €4bn in France’s AI and cloud tech
Microsoft announced it will invest €4 billion in France in cloud and AI infrastructure, AI skilling and French tech acceleration, aiming to train one million…
EU markets need to ‘activate long-term capital pools’
European capital markets are facing a decline in competitiveness, particularly when compared to the United States — and need to activate long-term capital pools across…
$12.71 trillion ETFs put hedge funds in the shade
Research and consultancy firm ETFGI has reported that assets invested in the global ETF (exchange traded funds) have surged ahead of the global hedge fund industry…
Global debt hits record $315 trillion – 333% of GDP
Global debt rose by $1.3 trillion to a new record high of $315 trillion — 333% of global GDP — in the first quarter of 2024,…
France leads, Germany falls as FDI to Europe stalls
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Europe declined in 2023, falling 4% compared with 2022, and has dropped to 11% lower than in 2019, just before…
Amundi, European fund giant, tops €2.1 trillion assets
Paris-based Amundi, Europe’s biggest fund manager, said on Friday its assets rose by €16.6bn in the first quarter of 2024 to €2.116 trillion, setting a new record and…
European ETF assets hit record €1.563 trillion – Lipper
Assets under management in the European ETF (exchange traded fund) industry increased over the course of 2023 to reach a new all-time high of €1.563…
Puig, Catalan cosmetics group, seeks €2.5bn in IPO
Barcelona-based cosmetics group Puig, the family business behind many brands including Charlotte Tilbury, Paco Rabanne and Carolina Herrera, is planning to list in Madrid and other…
UBS sells $8bn of Credit Suisse assets to Apollo
UBS announced the sale of Credit Suisse’s securitised products business to Apollo Global Management as part of its move to shed non-core assets following its takeover…
Google, Apple, Meta targeted by EU Digital Markets Act
European competition regulators announced that Alphabet’s Google, Apple and Meta Platforms will be investigated for potential breaches of the EU’s new Digital Markets Act — potentially leading to big fines…
EU approves AI Act ‘to protect fundamental rights’
The European Parliament has approved its proposed Artificial Intelligence Act — which it said “aims to protect fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law and…
Europe drives global dividends to record $1.66 trillion
Global company dividends rose to a record $1.66 trillion in 2023, up 5% on an underlying basis, according to the latest Janus Henderson Global Dividend…
Sovereign and corporate bond debt hits $100 trillion
By Mark McSherry The total volume of sovereign and corporate bond debt stood at almost $100 trillion at the end of 2023, similar in size…
Deutsche Börse appoints Leithner new chief executive
The supervisory board of Deutsche Börse AG said it has appointed Stephan Leithner as the company’s new chief executive officer. The 57-year-old will take up…
EU fines Apple €1.8bn over ‘abusive App store rules’
By Mark McSherry The European Commission said it has fined Apple over €1.8 billion “for abusing its dominant position on the market for the distribution…
Sweden’s EQT raises €22bn for its largest-ever fund
By Mark McSherry Swedish investment firm EQT announced that it raised €22 billion in total commitments for its largest-ever private equity fund EQT X. “The…
US, France, Germany drive debt to record $313 trillion
By Mark McSherry Global debt increased by more than $15 trillion in 2023 to reach a new record high of $313 trillion, according to the…
Ireland reports debt of €223bn – €42,000 per person
Ireland’s gross public debt stood at an estimated €223 billion at the end of 2023, down from €236 billion at end-2021 but around €20 billion…
EU investigates TikTok over possible content breaches
The European Union said it will investigate whether TikTok breached EU online content rules aimed at protecting children and ensuring transparent advertising. The move means…
Euro Investment Bank invests €1.2bn in West Balkans
EIB Global, the financial arm of the European Investment Bank (EIB) for activities outside the European Union, said it invested a record €1.2 billion across the Western…
Derivatives exchange Eurex appoints new CEO
European derivatives exchange Eurex announced that ABN AMRO executive Robbert Booij will join the executive board of Eurex Frankfurt AG as of May 1, 2024, and…
Norway $1.6 trillion wealth fund in record $213bn profit
By Mark McSherry Norway’s $1.6 trillion sovereign wealth fund — the largest in the world — has reported a record profit of 2.22 trillion crowns ($213…
EIB invests €88bn including €49bn of green finance
The European Investment Bank Group (EIB) said it signed €88 billion in funding in 2023 for over 900 high-impact projects in key policy areas such as…
Macquarie raises €8bn for European infrastructure fund
Macquarie Asset Management announced that over €8 billion has been committed to Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 7 (MEIF7) upon the fund’s final close, making MEIF7…
Lombard Odier names Ducat asset management co-head
Swiss private bank Lombard Odier Group announced the appointment of Bettina Ducat as co-head of its asset management division Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM) as…
Foreign direct investment in Ireland tops €1.28 trillion
Foreign direct investment in Ireland rose €26 billion or about 2% to €1.284 trillion in 2022, according to the country’s the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This…
Northvolt raises $5bn, Europe’s largest green loan
Swedish lithium-ion battery producer Northvolt announced the signing of a $5 billion “non-recourse project financing” to expand Northvolt Ett, its battery factory in northern Sweden. The…
Euroclear appoints Valérie Urbain new CEO
Euroclear announced that Valérie Urbain will succeed Lieve Mostrey as its group chief executive officer (CEO) in May. Brussels-based Euroclear is one of the world’s…
European Bank for Reconstruction invests record €13bn
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced it delivered a record €13.1 billion in investments across its economies in 2023. The bank invests…