QUAERO CAPITAL has seen its thematic funds Quaero Capital Funds (Lux) -Accessible Clean Energy A USD and Quaero Capital Funds (Lux) – Infrastructure Securities A EUR recognised by the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards Switzerland 2021 as the best Swiss funds over 5 years and 3 years respectively in the “Equity Theme – Alternative Energy” and “Equity Theme – Infrastructure” categories.
Sustainable investing, considered a niche investment option just a few years ago, is now a key component of a balanced investment strategy for a wide range of investors. The COVID crisis, rather than deprioritise responsible investment, has helped accelerate its development and push sustainability to the forefront. Recent figures from Morningstar track this accelerated growth, highlighting its concentration in Europe as well as the future opportunity elsewhere.
This content is available only to some investor categories and no profile has yet been defined. Define your investor profile to access this content.
This content is available only to some investor categories and no profile has yet been defined. Define your investor profile to access this content.
This content is available only to some investor categories and no profile has yet been defined. Define your investor profile to access this content.
This content is available only to some investor categories and no profile has yet been defined. Define your investor profile to access this content.
The retail industry and its supply chain are not without controversies and challenges for sustainable investors and consumers alike. As with other industries, retailers are facing increasing pressure to take responsibility for their footprints and what happens in their supply chains: the environmental impacts of their materials, the human rights and labour standards in the workhouses of their suppliers, and how the concept of fast fashion fits into a circular economy.
Si les GAFAM et autres géants de la tech ou de la pharmacie ont obtenu les faveurs des marchés en 2020, certaines petites valeurs européennes ont également su tirer leur épingle du jeu, surperformant les plus grands titres. Ainsi, l’indice Emix Smaller European Companies a progressé de +7.3% sur l’année, à comparer avec une baisse de -2% pour le Stoxx600. Tour d’horizon de quelques gagnants de la crise sanitaire.
On Monday 11 January 2021, Quaero Capital completed its fundraising for Quaero European Infrastructure Fund II (QEIF II) at EUR 600 M (hard cap), exceeding the initial target of EUR 500M set at its launch in July 2019. The management company is also expecting additional investment capacity given the strong interest from investors for co-investment opportunities.
As a reminder, the fundraising for its previous EUR 275 M investment vehicle (QEIF) ended in April 2017 and the fund has since been fully invested.
QEIF II’s strategy is to finance equity in both greenfield and brownfield infrastructure projects in Europe. The fund targets project finance assets and notably assets with development and growth requirements with a view to support it. It deploys a multi-sectoral approach, investing in energy, telecoms, water and environment projects, social infrastructure, transport, and utilities.
QEIF II has already invested more than 40% of its commitments through 6 assets in 4 countries and several sectors: renewables (wind farms), telecoms (optic fiber networks, data centres), social infrastructures (schools PPP) and public services (electricity network).
“This success recognizes the renewed trust from QEIF’s investors as well as the support of new investors, in particular in Switzerland, France, Belgium and Luxembourg. These investors were convinced by the quality of the first fund, the assets already in the QEIF II portfolio and more generally by the performance of the infrastructure asset class.” said Sébastien Bourget, Managing Partner, in charge of the infrastructure activity at QUAERO CAPITAL.
QEIF II investors include leading European investors notably insurance companies, pension funds, funds of funds, the Fonds de Réserve pour les Retraites and the European Investment Bank.
Cette chronique de Jean Keller est parue dans Le Temps du 18 janvier 2021. Lire l’article en PDF.
Alors que des voix s’élèvent en Suisse pour réclamer une renégociation de l’accord-cadre avec l’UE, il faut rappeler que sa signature est vitale pour notre place financière et pour l’asset management en particulier.