Columbia Threadneedle Investments has met a delegation of seven Brazilian pension fund officials and one consultant as part of a week long seminar organised by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), the UK Government department working with businesses based in the United Kingdom to assist their success in international markets, and with overseas investors looking to the UK as an investment destination.
The event, endorsed by ABRAPP, the Brazilian National Pension Fund is an opportunity for Brazilian pension funds considering investments abroad to get a first-hand view of global markets from some of the world’s leading asset managers.
Columbia Threadneedle Investments was the first stop of several visits for the Brazilian officials, hosting a seminar on the theme of European Equities in the greater context of diversification and global asset allocation.
Two officials from Rio Bravo Investimentos, which has recently launched a Brazilian domiciled institutional fund fully invested in Columbia Threadneedle Investments’ award-winning European Select strategy, also attended the seminar including Director and Partner Scheila da Cruz Nassif Lofrano.
Joseph Sweigart, Senior Institutional Sales Director, Latin America Institutional Distribution at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, said: “We are delighted to welcome representatives of some of Brazil’s largest pension funds and we are thankful to UKTI for this great initiative.
“With less than 1% of their assets invested abroad, Brazilian pension funds have been overly exposed to the domestic economy. However, over the last couple of years, with Brazil experiencing a sharp slowdown, it has become clear that there is a need to diversify away from the local market. We believe that now is the time for Brazilian pension funds to consider investments abroad that can generate high alpha with low correlation to the domestic economy.”
Scheila da Cruz Nassif Lofrano, Director and Partner at Rio Bravo Investimentos, said: “Following the recent announcement of our strategic partnership with Columbia Threadneedle, we look forward to having the opportunity to discussing together investment opportunities in European equities and multi asset with a group of Brazilian pension funds.”
Karthik Iyer, head of Asset Management at UKTI, said: “As the world’s most internationally-focused financial marketplace, the UK is home to some of the world’s leading asset managers. It is a destination of choice for institutional investors looking for best-in-class expertise and we are pleased to welcome this week to London a delegation of pension fund officials from Brazil. We are excited to showcase the breadth and depth of the UK’s investment capabilities.”
