BlackRock flexes shareholder muscle and ups votes against company management July 20, 2021 The world’s largest asset manager has toughened its stance on corporate governance and increased its votes against board proposals and executive pay at large public companies worldwide. In its quarterly stewardship report published on Tuesday, BlackRock said it voted against management on 33 per cent of “say-on-pay” proposals in European companies in the year to [...]
Cairngorm Capital acquires robo-adviser and wealth manager to launch new digital firm July 15, 2021 Private equity firm Cairngorm Capital has acquired wealth manager Whitefoord and robo-adviser Munnypot to launch a new digital firm combining financial advice with investment management. The new firm, called Verso Wealth Management, will combine online investment service Munnypot’s digital platform technology with Whitefoord’s investment management and financial advice services to create an automated advice platform. [...]
Gresham House assets grow steadily as ESG appetite endures July 15, 2021 Gresham House reported steady growth in the first half of the year in a trading update this morning, as interest in ESG investment continued to push its assets under management higher. The asset manager reported a 19 per cent rise in AUM to £4.7bn, with organic growth of £457m driven by its real estate division, [...]
BlackRock smashes profit estimates as assets reach almost $10 trillion July 14, 2021 Blackrock has reported a 14 per cent rise in quarterly profit and a record $9.5tn in assets under management, signalling increased investor confidence in a post-pandemic economic recovery. The asset management giant posted a second quarter profit of $1.378bn (£994m) or $8.92 per share, up from $1.214bn and $7.85 per share a year earlier. Its [...]
Bottom-up ESG: New platform wants to give retail investor army voting power for £1 July 9, 2021 Tulipshare is targeting the next generation of shareholders by tapping into their booming interest in retail investment and demand for a corporate ESG overhaul. The new UK-based activist investment platform wants to enable individuals to “vote with their money” for change from the inside at Amazon, Coca-Cola and Apple by investing as little as £1. [...]
London IPO: LendInvest prices AIM float as it looks to raise £40m July 9, 2021 Property finance asset manager LendInvest will float on the AIM index on Wednesday, with shares priced at 186p
BlackRock raises $250m for climate funds in emerging markets July 8, 2021 BlackRock raised over $250m (£181m) for its climate finance fund to invest in a selection of countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, the company announced today. Through its Climate Finance Partnership, the world’s biggest asset manager will focus on investing in renewable power generation, energy storage solutions and electrified transportation services. Blackrock said it aims [...]
Hedge fund Marshall Wace plots investments in cryptocurrency companies July 6, 2021 The London-based hedge fund group is planning to buy stakes in privately held digital asset companies that are at a late stage in their development. Marshall Wace is planning a long term crossover strategy to make late-stage venture capital investments in digital finance companies, a person with knowledge of the plans told Morning Wire The [...]
Gresham House completes acquisition of €350m Irish asset manager June 29, 2021 Gresham House has fully acquired Irish fund manager Appian Asset Management in a deal that gives the firm a European presence. The asset manager today announced the completed acquisition of Appian, which manages €350m in assets, following regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Ireland. Gresham House said the acquisition accelerates the firm’s five-year growth [...]
Exclusive: As Aviva sacks its fund managers, how to communicate such changes to shareholders? June 17, 2021 In this 2-part series, Morning Wire zooms in on the relationship between investment boards, asset managers and shareholders. In the first instalment, a number of Square Mile-based investment managers discussed why and when investors come to realise the asset managers needs to be replaced, and how such decisions come about. Today, the City insiders debate [...]