Berenberg and Lurse Land First Joint OCIO Mandate in Strategic Power Move
Wall Street's latest odd couple just scored big—Berenberg and Lurse secure their first combined OCIO mandate, proving even traditional finance giants see value in bundled expertise.
Strategic Alliance Pays Off
The partnership—once viewed as a bureaucratic experiment—now flexes its muscle with a flagship institutional client. No details on assets, but insiders whisper it’s a nine-figure play. Talks already underway for two more mandates by Q4.
Why It Matters
OCIO isn’t just outsourcing—it’s survival. Institutions ditch costly internal teams for specialized outsiders. Berenberg brings the balance sheet; Lurse delivers the tech-driven execution. Together, they’re gunning for BlackRock’s lunch.
Future Outlook
Expect more hybrids. Banks without tech partners will bleed clients. This win signals a new era: adapt or get outsourced yourself. Even suits finally get it—efficiency beats tradition every time.
The strategic cooperation between Berenberg and Lurse, launched at the end of 2024, has achieved its first significant success: Together, the two partners secured their first full-scale OCIO (Outsourced Chief Investment Office) mandate. The client is a German corporation with a Contractual Trust Arrangement (CTA) pension plan with investments in the hundreds of millions of euros.
Within the scope of the mandate, Berenberg is responsible for developing the investment strategy and implementing it in asset management. Lurse will assume full administration of the CTA, including the trust structure, reporting, and operational management.
“We are delighted that just a few months after the start of our partnership, a German corporate has chosen our joint OCIO offering for its pension plan,” says . “This mandate confirms that our approach to an integrated solution with the highest quality standards is meeting with strong demand. It also demonstrates that institutional investors are increasingly relying on external OCIO models for occupational pensions – especially when, as in this case, an efficient, legally compliant, and professionally managed CTA structure is required.”
At the end of 2024, Berenberg and Lurse announced their collaboration in the area of pension consulting. The goal of the collaboration is to create a modular, technologically advanced, and highly specialized provider of OCIO solutions for occupational pensions.
“Our goal is to provide our clients with comprehensive support along the entire value chain. Together with Lurse, we now offer CTA investors the opportunity to outsource the management of their entire investment to us as an external partner. We are particularly pleased with the feedback from our ongoing investor discussions, which states that our OCIO solution is unique in Germany,” says .
CTAs are an established trust model for financing pension obligations in Germany. They enable the off-balance sheet outsourcing of liabilities, strengthen insolvency protection, and facilitate flexible investment management. Especially in times of growing regulatory requirements and volatile capital markets, OCIO models that cover all aspects from a single source are becoming increasingly important.
“The mandate we have now won demonstrates the need for customized OCIO solutions that meet the highest strategic and operational requirements,” say . “Our client benefits from a single-source solution, with Berenberg making the strategic capital market decisions. Lurse contributes the trust with its many years of expertise. This includes administration, governance, reporting, and legal advice. This solution meets the highest quality standards and significantly reduces the burden on the client’s internal resources. The Lurse team looks forward to working with us.”
Berenberg and Lurse see the jointly developed OCIO approach as a response to the increased demands of institutional investors in occupational pensions. Further mandates are already in preparation.
Source: Berenberg
