Insurance-linked investments pioneer LGT ILS signed three substantial new mandates worth over $400M from large European pension funds in H1 2013

Pfaeffikon, Switzerland, 25-7-2013 — /EuropaWire/ — LGT’s Insurance-Linked Strategies team has won three large mandates worth USD 400 million from institutional investors.

LGT is pleased to announce that in the first half of 2013 its Insurance-Linked Strategies (ILS) team has been awarded three substantial new mandates worth over USD 400 million from large European pension funds. The mandates are structured as separate, regulated funds on LGT’s dedicated ILS platform in Luxembourg, and they focus on private insurance-linked investments, also known as “collateralised reinsurance.”

The three institutions awarding the mandates include one of the largest Dutch pension fund managers (whose mandate covers non-US risk only), the AXA Winterthur pension fund and the pension plan of a Swiss municipality (both covering worldwide risks). All of the mandates have a primary allocation to collateralised reinsurance as well as a strategic allocation to insurance-linked securities/cat bonds in order to take advantage of attractive market opportunities and manage liquidity.

The ILS team has grown its asset base by 30% in the first year following LGT’s acquisition of the teamfrom Clariden Leu. The team attributes this to its proven track record as well as to the stability and strong reputation of LGT’s asset management platform.

Steven Kaufmann, who is leading the insurance-linked investments allocation at AXA Winterthur Pension Fund, said: “We have followed the ILS space for a long time and have been convinced by the uncorrelated returns in the insurance-linked investments sector, as well as the long track record, transparency, and high quality of the LGT team, especially regarding collateralised reinsurance.”

Michael Stahel, Partner and Portfolio Manager of LGT ILS, adds: “We are extremely pleased that AXA Winterthur selected us for its allocation to this exciting asset class, which will help to further diversify their asset base.”

ENDS

About LGT ILS
LGT ILS is one of the pioneers in insurance-linked investments, managing funds with track records dating back to 2001. The team invests across the entire range of collateralised reinsurance, including traditional reinsurance and industry loss contracts, as well as insurance-linked securities (ILS/ catastrophe bonds), placing capacity in the world-wide reinsurance market on both non-life and life transactions. Today, the core investment team consists of 13 investment professionals and is supported by 10 specialists from LGT for legal and structuring work. In total, LGT manages more than USD 3 billion in the insurance-linked strategies space, making it one of the world’s largest investment managers in this asset class.

Press contact
Raphael Paglia
Tel: +41 55 415 9600
E-mail: raphael.paglia@lgt.com