DWS Group

Asset manager DWS will reintroduce the Deutsche Asset Management brand identity worldwide from November in order to better reach international and institutional clients and to emphasize the group’s origins. The company’s official corporate name, DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, will remain unchanged for the time being; a formal renaming would require approval by the annual general meeting. DWS manages around €1.2 trillion and Deutsche Bank holds about 80 percent of the shares. Existing product and fund names will remain unchanged; in the active management area the existing name will be complemented by an additional designation. » Mere på handelsblatt.com

Jefferies has upgraded DWS from "Hold" to "Buy" and raised the price target from €51 to €90. Analyst Laura Gris Trillo cites the German pension reform, growing ETF savings plans and the €500 billion infrastructure programme as drivers of greater domestic fee potential. According to the report, the quality of growth should improve on its own. » Mere på finanzen.net

Frankfurter Leben is taking over Athora’s German business and will integrate around 800,000 customers as well as an investment portfolio of roughly €17 billion. DWS is participating with a low- to mid-double-digit million euro amount in the form of hybrid capital and is expected to strategically support the management of alternative investments going forward. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval; a Bafin review and questions about the majority ownership structure are seen as hurdles. » Mere på handelsblatt.com