Europe

FRANCE - Fortis Investments has launched a fundamental 130/30 Euro strategy designed to enhance return from Eurozone equities, with similar risks of the standard market benchmark.

UK - The new owner of UK emergency services radio firm Airwave O2 has decided to axe the company's final salary pension scheme.

UK - The Pensions Protection Fund (PPF) has issued a contract looking for a socially responsible investment (SRI) consultancy for SRI overlay management and corporate government proxy voting.

UK - The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has published two new corporate governance policies.

UK - Credit Suisse revealed it would launch a mortality swap for pension funds as a way of managing mortality risk and an alternative to a buyout, according to Vice President Ian Mills.

UK - Bulk annuity buyout provider Paternoster has announced it is the annuity provider for £411.7m of pension scheme liabilities, as of the 31 March 2007.

UK - Dutch pension fund ABP's former head of global quantitative strategies, Erik Rubingh, has been hired by F&C Investments to develop an active quantitative strategies capability.

EUROPE - ABN AMRO has launched the first fully-managed constant proportion debt obligation (CPDO) product.

UK- Synesis Life has appointed F&C Asset Management as its investment manager.

UK - JPMorgan Asset Management has launched a series of duration and apha funds aimed at reducing pension funds' liability risk and offer relative returns.