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We bring the world of global macro to the asset management sector

Raphaël Remond, managing director of State Street Banque in France for over 15 years, has co-founded Lior Global Partners with Jeremy Touboul, partner and manager at H2O AM until September 2019. After the UK, Luxembourg and Monaco, their Luxembourg-registered Ucits fund Lior GP Alpha Fund has just received distribution approval from the AMF in France. Q&A with Raphaël Remond, who explains the fund's positioning.

Mr. Remond, your press release states that you integrate ESG into your investment process. What makes this different?

Many ESG funds operate in a single universe, such as equities. The diversity of investments in a global macro* fund like ours (currencies, credit, sovereign bonds in addition to equities), complicates the integration of environmental, social and governance elements. As a result, very few of them are able to take these criteria into account and qualify for classification under Article 8(products that promote environmental and/or social characteristics) of the SFDR(Sustainable Financial Disclosure Regulation). This regulation has been in force since March, because the letters ESG were too often misused. The regulators have decided to put their house in order. From now on, it's up to each fund to define whether it is truly ESG, and if so, in what proportions, in line with the imperatives imposed on Article 8 or 9 funds(products whose objective is sustainable investment).

Can you describe Lior Global Partners' ESG approach?

We have built a model that is simple at first sight, but complicated to implement, and very rare in the world of global macro funds. Our approach is systematic and common to all the asset classes in which we invest, with the exception of currencies. Secondly, our ESG data are not produced in-house, but come from a recognized supplier, Sustainalytics. Finally, the ESG section brings us value in terms of risk management. The discussions we've had with several investors allow us to claim that this approach is innovative, even avant-garde. We are convinced that the 2020-2030 decade will be the decade of ESG, but we are also aware that models will evolve. That's why we're always listening, so that we can continue to improve and create value.

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This article appeared on Finascope