The Swiss Life Investment Foundation, which manages the pension assets of third-party clients, has set up two infrastructure investment vehicles – the Infrastructure Global EU and the Infrastructure Global (CHF hedged) investment solutions.

Swiss Life Asset Managers’ collective investment vehicles will invest in a portfolio of infrastructure facilities in Europe, including Switzerland, the US and in OECD countries.

The allocation will target infrastructure in renewable energy, utilities, communication, and transport. Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) criteria will be included in the investment process.

The investment solutions have an evergreen structure, without a fixed term. Investors can choose between investments with at least 80% of foreign currency risk hedged against the Swiss franc and investments with euro as reference currency.

The Federal Council has approved the introduction of a 10% quota for infrastructure investments. Under certain conditions, pension funds no longer have to include infrastructure investments in the 15% quota for alternative investments as of 1 October 2020.

The new investment vehicles meet the conditions for infrastructure investments set out in the ordinance.

SFAMA and AMP merge in new asset management association

SFAMA, the Swiss Funds and Asset Management Association, will merge with the Asset Management Platform (AMP) Switzerland this autumn to establish the Asset Management Association Switzerland.

The partners intend to reinforce the position of asset management firms with regards to the political and regulatory environment in Switzerland.

The members of the board of directors for the merged entity include:

  • president Iwan Deplazes, head of asset management at Swisscanto Invest;
  • vice president Charlotte Bänninger, head of fixed income at UBS Asset Management;
  • Michel Degen, head of Credit Suisse Asset Management Switzerland and EMEA;
  • Laurent Ramsey, managing partner and co-chief executive officer at Pictet Asset Management;
  • Axel Schwarzer, head of asset management at Vontobel;
  • Mirjam Staub-Bisang, head of BlackRock in Switzerland.

The Swiss Bankers Association (SBA), which supports the merger, will also have a seat on the board of directors.

Clarius Capital starts 1e plans

Asset management firm Clarus Capital has started to offer 1e pension plans together with insurance broker Neutrass. The portfolio includes products such as ETFs and index funds, among others.

Insurance holders can choose from investment products with the best price-performance ratio – including low-cost ETFs and index funds – and not just in-house funds as it is the case with some providers.

1e plans give the option to choose up to 10 investment strategies to people with a minimum annual salary of CHF126,900 (€116,975). 1e solutions apply also to vested benefits accounts.

In addition, 1e solutions can be used to increase purchasing potential, save income tax and protect credit balances from redistribution.

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