Where does fund pricing pressure come from?  

We constantly hear about price pressure in the fund management industry globally. The most often quoted strategic drivers include competition from passive funds and regulation. The reality is more nuanced, and the complex landscape of distribution creates multiple pressure points, all impacting on the price of retail funds.

Letter from Luxembourg

Sheenagh Gordon-Hart, Independent Director at The Director’s Office 

The first quarter of 2024 has passed very quickly and, while the geo-political problems we face seem to be growing by the day, there is an air of optimism that one hopes is not ill-founded.

Profile interview: Michaela Jackson – March 2024

Michaela Jackson speaks to FBC’s Simon Hynes about her experience as Head of Distribution at Columbia Threadneedle, from the integration of BMO GAM to creating a platform for sales and relationship management, the importance of a commercial role in a big organisation and, of course, governance. Watch the full interview  https://vimeo.com/918050319/c6a95183c0?share=copy

A view from the Liffey 

The new working year has well progressed and many of the issues and topics that were so relevant in 2023 are still with us, in some situations still requiring further clarification with others now implemented fully or still under review as regards the practical side of application.

Viewpoint: Philip Warland

A number of incidents in the recent past has got me thinking about governance. The first was Stuart Kirk’s typically contrary piece in the FT about the proven uselessness of governance as a driver of economic success.

Letter from Hong Kong – March 2024

As I write this letter from my lofty perch on an island in Hong Kong overlooking the South China Sea, I am conscious that many readers may never have visited our tropical paradise, or if they have, it might have been many years ago, and especially before Covid 19 disrupted the globe.

Aldcroft on Asia Pac 

Stewart Aldcroft

2023 has been an amazing year, looking back at it from Hong Kong. At the start of the year our borders were still closed to non-resident visitors, yet by March we were almost fully reopened to tourists and business visitors from all over the world, especially China. For the year as a whole, visitor numbers may still be below around 70% of the pre-covid level, but the rate of increase each month suggests 2024 could be a record year.