Lux Media Investments operates in two major financial centers, Toronto and Luxembourg.
The annual ranking of international financial centers by the Uk-based “The Banker” magazine places Toronto, Canada as the second largest financial center in North America and ranks as 6th in the world. The Toronto Stock Exchange is the third largest equity exchange in North America and seventh largest in the world with a market capitalization of $ 1.6 Trillion (2014). In terms of listed companies the TSX and TSX Ventures are the second largest overall and are global leaders in ming, oil, gas and cleantech.
The Toronto region is the hub of the Canadian financial industry – banks, investment firms, pension funds and insurance companies. Toronto is home to the headquarters of Canada’s five largest banks, three of which ranks amongst the top 25 largest banks in the world by market capitalization. In 2014, for the seventh year in a row, the World Economic Forum ranked Canadian banks as the soundest in the world. Toronto also is the Canadian headquarters for the vast majority of foreign banks operating in Canada, including four of the world’s largest banks.
The Toronto region is home to two of the world’s largest life insurance companies, seven of the ten largest global hedge fund administrators, three of the top 50 global pension funds, headquarters of 12 securities firms and nine of Canada’s top 10 mutual fund companies. Supporting the sector is a vibrant eco-system tha includes many of Canada’s top law firms, auditors, accountants, administrators, tech-firms and academic institutions. Within the diversity and breath of Toronto’s financial sector are a number of enterprises that have developed specialized expertise over time, i.e. for incubators, start-ups and small and medium size enterprises.
Luxembourg is the second largest investment fund centre in the world after the United States, the premier captive reinsurance market in the European Union and the premier private banking centre in the Eurozone. A founder member of the EU benefiting fully from the principles of free movement of capital and freedom of establishment with the EU, Luxembourg has a track record of stability, even in the face of the challenges arising from the global financial crisis, Luxembourg maintains low levels of sovereign debt, has one of the highest GDPs per capita and retains a AAA rating. This has resulted in the domiciling of tens of thousands of investment holding and financing and securitization vehicles, many of which form part of globally recognised corporate groups or hold the portfolio investments of leading international investment funds.
From its origins as a European centre, the city subsequently developed as a private banking centre and then, from the 1980s, as a leading domicile for investment funds. The success of the financial centre is founded on the social and political stability of the Grand Duchy and on a modern legal and regulatory framework that is continuously updated, inspired by regular consultation between the government, the legislator and the private sector. Thus, over the years, specific regulatory frameworks have been created for alternative investment funds, venture capital investment funds, international pension funds, specialised investment funds, captive reinsurance companies, covered bond issuing banks, securitisation vehicles and family wealth management companies. This legal framework, combined with Luxembourg’s openness to the world, has attracted banks, insurance companies, investment fund promoters and specialist service providers from all over the world.
The Luxembourg financial centre is characterised by a strong culture of investor protection and rigorous anti money-laundering policies. Its specialist teams are multilingual and multicultural, with a long tradition of financial expertise and extensive knowledge of the needs of an international clientele.
The Luxembourg Stock Exchange has become the first stock exchange globally to introduce a platform for green financial instruments.
