Berenberg Bank has launched a new central sales and advisory platform aimed at supporting German pension investors with asset allocation design and implementation, as banks increasingly target the domestic pension sector as a strategic growth opportunity.
The platform brings together strategic investment consulting, an outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) model, and a broad range of investment strategies, according to Michael Kreibich, head of Berenberg’s newly created institutional clients division.
The institutional clients division will oversee the platform and support institutional investors – including pension funds – across the entire investment process, from strategic planning through to implementation, administration and monitoring, Kreibich said.
The division merges Berenberg’s institutional sales arm, led by Alina Paul, with its investment consulting unit.
The new structure is designed to harness synergies between the teams and strengthen proximity to clients and the market, the firm stated.
Investment consulting’s expertise in strategic asset allocation and asset-liability management underpins long-term client relationships, the bank said.
“Our investment consulting service has given us insights into the needs and challenges of institutional investors and sharpened our image as a strategic partner in this segment. We now want to incorporate these insights directly into our sales process,” said Kreibich.
The platform is intended to support a wide spectrum of pension institutions in Germany, including Pensionskassen, Pensionsfonds, professional schemes such as Versorgungswerke, and Contractual Trust Arrangements (CTAs).
According to the bank, institutional investors are facing growing regulatory and accounting pressures and increasingly seek tailored investment advice.
“We offer clients investment solutions from the entire Berenberg platform – both in the private markets, private debt, real estate, private equity, and infrastructure, and in the liquid asset classes – equities, fixed income, liquid alternatives, risk management, and multi-asset,” Kreibich said.
German banks are stepping up efforts to grow their share of the domestic pension market.
Berenberg has signed a strategic partnership with Lurse Deutsche Pensions Treuhand – a subsidiary of consultancy Lurse that manages CTAs – to offer OCIO services.
The bank has also partnered with Lurse and bfinance for CTA administration and manager selection, and is in advanced talks with a further partner to strengthen its Pensionfonds offering.
Separately, Metzler Pension Management – part of Frankfurt-based Bankhaus B. Metzler – is preparing to launch the Metzler Mittelstands Pensionsfonds.
The move follows its acquisition of the Pensionsfonds of Nürnberger Lebensversicherung and aims to expand its services to small and medium-sized enterprises, consolidating its position as a leading provider of pension vehicles in Germany.
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