Author | Lightnews

Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Sep 13

🚨 Citi partners with BlackRock

Citi will leverage BlackRock to manage part of its UHNW clients’ portfolios. Citi focuses on client relationships and advice, while BlackRock handles investments via its Aladdin platform.

Read more: www.ft.com/content/c1f2...

#WealthManagement #AssetManagement

Citi to tap BlackRock for top clients’ wealth management

Wall Street bank to draw on asset manager’s expertise to oversee $80bn in client assets

www.ft.com

Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Sep 13

🇱🇺 Luxembourg vs 🇮🇪 Ireland: the battle for Europe’s fund domicile crown.

Ireland has surged ahead in ETFs, but Luxembourg is fighting back with tax tweaks & regulatory changes.

Can it reclaim its lead? 🏦

🔗 www.ft.com/content/0965...

Luxembourg launches fund domicile fightback against Ireland

The Grand Duchy has lost out to its rival on passive ETFs, but is hoping to win the war with an active ETF charm offensive

www.ft.com

Reposted by Baptiste Venrie Monthuis

Jamie Smyth @jamiesmythft.bsky.social · Sep 11

Trump's war against offshore wind- an industry dominated by European companies- is raising big sovereign risk concerns for foreign investors, even among oil and gas companies @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/3VGITFI

Trump’s war on offshore wind raising ‘sovereign risk’ for foreign investors

[FREE TO READ] Critics warn the harassment of overseas companies jeopardises the US president’s goal of attracting investment

on.ft.com

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Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 31

Private credit is no longer niche. It’s moving mainstream—but the investor base is shifting.
What do you think: opportunity or risk for those jumping in now? 🔍
#PrivateMarkets #FinancialInstitutions #WealthManagement

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Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 31

Why the surge? ✅ Higher returns than public markets ✅ Evergreen fund structures ✅ Easier access via wealth managers
But here’s the question: if individuals are now the main driver, can returns hold as competition for deals heats up?
#AlternativeInvestments #AssetManagement #FundManagement

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Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 31

💥 Private credit is booming among wealthy individuals—even as institutional demand cools.
US investors poured $48bn in H1 2025, already surpassing last year. Big names like Blackstone & Apollo are leading the charge.
FT article: www.ft.com/content/0b3c...
#PrivateCredit #Investing #WealthManagement

Wealthy Americans pour record sums into private credit funds

Individual investors among the biggest sources of growth as institutional demand slows

www.ft.com

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Reposted by Baptiste Venrie Monthuis

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · Aug 31

The Wall Street bank has poached about 100 managing directors from competitors including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup since early last year, people familiar with the details told the Financial Times on.ft.com/4mGrf0A

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Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 31

🌍 De-dollarization is gaining pace.

Central banks bought 244 tonnes of gold in Q1 2025, pushing gold’s reserve share close to 20% while the dollar slips under 47%.

Is gold re-emerging as the world’s true safe haven? 🥇

🔗 www.investopedia.com/de-dollariza...

#Gold #Dollar #Dedollarization

De-Dollarization Could Send Gold Prices Soaring — Should You Invest Now?

As de-dollarization gains momentum, rising central bank gold purchases and widening currency swings signal that investors should hedge by keeping a modest 5%–10 % gold allocation and diversifying into...

www.investopedia.com

Reposted by Baptiste Venrie Monthuis

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · Aug 31

Britain needs a wealth tax on property on.ft.com/4mLbuFO | opinion

Britain needs a wealth tax on property

Targeting expensive houses and non-residential land would leave the vast majority of homeowners and farmers untouched

on.ft.com

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Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 31

🇱🇺 Finfluencers are booming everywhere… except in Luxembourg.

Why?
🔍 Concerns over unregulated advice
🏦 Blurred lines between influencer content and financial guidance

Is this smart restraint, or a missed opportunity? 👀

🔗 Read more: www.luxtimes.lu/businessandf...

#Banks #Brokers #Luxembourg

Banks, brokers in Luxembourg hesitate on using finfluencer power

Financial firms are keen for finfluencers to help them build awareness, but Luxembourg players remain cautious about how it plays out

www.luxtimes.lu

Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 30

🤖 #Luxembourg banks are leaning into AI:
• BILGPT → in-house ChatGPT
• Berry → client chatbot
• Polaris → multilingual text assistant

94% of staff see AI as an 🚀 opportunity, not a threat.

But mortgages & succession? Still human moments.

🔗 www.luxtimes.lu/businessandf...

How Luxembourg banks are adopting AI

AI tools are already working away in the background of retail banks, but soon customers will be dealing directly with their AI banker

www.luxtimes.lu

Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 28

A deal to sell Edmond de Rothschild’s asset servicing arm to Apex Group has collapsed after Apex was unable to obtain final regulatory clearance. The Swiss private bank has terminated the agreement and will now focus on internal development.
Full article: www.luxtimes.lu/businessandf...

Edmond de Rothschild’s Apex deal collapses amid regulatory hurdles

Swiss private bank ends planned sale after Apex fails to obtain final regulatory clearance

www.luxtimes.lu

Reposted by Baptiste Venrie Monthuis

Philippe Waechter @philwaechter.bsky.social · Aug 26

La question de Lise Cook est celle de la prise de pouvoir de la Maison Blanche sur les autorités monétaires américaines. C’est plus important que la baisse des taux d’intérêt.
Il y a deux interrogations derrière

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Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 26

« Le lion est mort, les chacals se disputent l'empire. Enfin, on peut pas demander plus aux frères Volfoni qu'aux fils de Charlemagne. » Maître Folace

L'Informé @linforme.com · Aug 26

⚔️ Les frères Bouygues se déchirent sur l’héritage de leur père Francis

Nicolas, le fils aîné du fondateur du groupe, estime avoir été lésé par ses frères Martin et Olivier. Ils les a attaqués en justice, pour l’instant sans succès. #rediff

▶️ l.linforme.com/2p9dd...

Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 26

The authors suggest policy tools to manage the shift: green taxes, subsidies, and workforce retraining.
Full study: www.bruegel.org/working-pape...

Measuring GDP at risk in the low-carbon transition

Our model provides a bird’s eye view of a country’s exposure to transition

www.bruegel.org

Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 26

📊 Low GDP exposure: Sweden 🇸🇪, France 🇫🇷
📊 High GDP exposure: Poland 🇵🇱, Bulgaria 🇧🇬
Key drivers include carbon intensity, energy mix, and policy readiness.

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Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 26

A new @bruegel.org working paper examines how the low-carbon transition could affect GDP across EU countries. 🌍
Some economies are more exposed to risks than others.

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Reposted by Baptiste Venrie Monthuis

Bruegel @bruegel.org · Aug 25

🌏 Bruegel Annual Meetings | Europe's Asian perspective: trade, investment and geopolitical considerations
📅 3 September | 10:30-11:30 CET

🗣️ @aligarciaherrero.bsky.social, Suman Bery (NITI Aayog), Yo Kikuchi (JBIC), Maria Martin-Prat @ec.europa.eu, @zichen.bsky.social

🔗 Sign up: buff.ly/DEar8cx

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Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 26

Donald Trump has threatened (once again) retaliation against governments imposing digital taxes that he says “discriminate” against US tech companies.

The FT reports this could escalate trade tensions and complicate global efforts on digital tax reform.

🔗 www.ft.com/content/ff8d...

Donald Trump threatens retaliation over taxes that ‘discriminate’ against US tech

President claims other countries’ digital levies hurt American companies while ignoring China

www.ft.com

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Reposted by Baptiste Venrie Monthuis

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · Aug 26

US tariff threat over Indian imports of Russian oil could backfire on.ft.com/3Hudlj7 | opinion

US tariff threat over Indian imports of Russian oil could backfire

If New Delhi reduced its purchases to zero, oil prices and inflation would jump

on.ft.com

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Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 26

This makes miners a leveraged play on gold — but with added risk.
If gold holds steady or rises, miners may keep outperforming. If not, volatility cuts both ways.

Full FT analysis:
www.ft.com/content/9185...

Gold diggers follow the money

The danger with gold rushes is turning up too late, and previous bouts of outperformance have typically been reversed

www.ft.com

Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 26

Why miners are rallying:
⚡️ Operational leverage → margins rise as costs stabilise
💰 Dividends + buybacks → disciplined capital returns
🛡 Stronger balance sheets → years of repair paying off

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Baptiste Venrie Monthuis @baptistevm.bsky.social · Aug 26

Gold is flat, but gold miners are shining.
While bullion has barely moved, mining stocks have jumped ~30% in the past 3 months. What’s driving this divergence?

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