Philippe Barthélémy (FARAD Group): 

Targeting opportunities and recognised standards 

 

Philippe Barthélémy, CEO, presents FARAD Group’s activity and describes the current trends of the financial sector in Luxembourg and around the world. Interview.

 

Can you present FARAD in a few words?

 

Founded in 2001 in Luxembourg, FARAD Group is an independent, diversified financial platform providing institutional clients with asset management, investment funds, impact & SRI finance and insurance brokerage solutions. Through a B2B services platform, painstakingly developed after many years of activity, the Group has created, developed and managed successful companies and investment products. Headquartered in Luxembourg with a branch and representative offices in Milan, FARAD Group has a solid reputation and a well-established position in the European market, reflected in the Group’s activities in many countries with a particular focus on Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. FARAD Group has been recognised globally for its Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) standards and has been awarded the B-Corporation certification. 

 

What are the latest developments within the financial sector?

 

The financial sector is currently facing numerous challenges. An increasing number of regulations have had and will have an impact on the sector in the coming months and years and the industry has to find a way to address the challenges of ESG, both in terms of the industry itself and in terms of investment targets. In the long term, we believe that there will be two major market trends. Firstly, we expect the liquid asset class to develop lower returns. The asset class will remain profitable with a breakeven point which will increasingly depend on players' capacities to invest in a high volume of assets. We see opportunities to play a role as a market consolidator and to offer our B2B services platform to smaller players, enabling them to benefit from the synergies of sharing resources. We also believe that alternative assets will continue to rally, providing investors with higher returns, even if the asset class profile is riskier. We have therefore adapted our product offering and our skillset to become a recognised player in this area and we will continue to develop competitive advantages to maximise these opportunities over the coming years.

 

What are the perspectives for Luxembourg and for FARAD?
 

Thanks to its unique political stability, continuous efforts, efficient investments and openness to innovation, Luxembourg has been able to attract and develop cutting-edge industries which will be a force to be reckoned with over the coming years and decades - FinTech, green finance and even the space industry are just a few examples. The Luxembourg economy is more diversified than ever which is undoubtedly a key factor for large institutions and investors when deciding whether to invest and expand in the Grand Duchy. By paying attention to markets trends and being able to anticipate solid leads, FARAD Group has always been uniquely positioned to identify and launch key services which suit client and market needs. We are proud to have been one of the first companies in Luxembourg to rely on impact and green finance and we will continue to develop this business segment. We also endeavour to adapt to ever-changing markets by building innovative products and creating new ways to deliver financial services.