Asset managers are increasingly muscling into Asia’s US$1.8 trillion exchange-traded fund (ETF) space, as they seek to capitalise on growing demand among the region’s wealth clientele for low-cost and liquid investment solutions. From discretionary portfolio management (DPM), to tactical trading and granting access to hard-to-reach platforms, ETFs are becoming a more prominent component of private banks’ offerings in Asia. In […]

The post ETFs in Asia: A US$1.8tn wealth opportunity for asset managers? appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Hong Kong’s asset and wealth management industry has broadly benefited from a supportive policy agenda to promote the city as a wealth hub. However, 2025 will likely see increased scrutiny of asset managers, according to industry experts speaking to Asian Private Banker. Increased scrutiny In a circular in 4Q24, Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) flagged deficiencies and substandard […]

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Legal complications are becoming more common for divorce and wealth and estate planning matters among U/HNWIs in Hong Kong and mainland China, as the two regions draw ever nearer, legal experts told Asian Private Banker. “The difference in divorce laws between mainland China and Hong Kong is not new, but as wealth has increased so much and people have assets and […]

The post Closer Hong Kong-mainland China ties complicating U/HNW succession planning appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

China’s nearly RMB 20 trillion (US$2.76 trillion) private fund industry is facing challenges on multiple fronts, from fundraising to regulatory scrutiny. This environment is causing some private funds, including hedge funds, to target the offshore private wealth market for AUM and client growth, multiple industry experts told Asian Private Banker. “For onshore China, we mainly manage U/HNWIs’ pools of money, […]

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Law firms in Hong Kong and Singapore have identified private wealth as a growth area amid huge inflows of mainland Chinese capital, and with more clients seeking wealth protection and succession planning services in an increasingly volatile world. The great wealth transfer in Asia has prompted some law firms to form a dedicated team with full services to clients, add […]

The post Private wealth business booms for Asia law firms amid IPO slump appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Hong Kong is set to revive the suspended Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES) with new tweaks to allow eligible wealthy individuals to gain permanent residency in the city, underscoring the government’s efforts to lure back talent and wealth amid a lull in its financial markets. The CIES has been on ice since January 2015 but is set to return in […]

The post Hong Kong revives scheme to lure global U/HNWIs. Will it work? appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

The Limited Partnership Fund regime provides a user-friendly option for private equity and venture capital firms to set up Hong Kong domiciled private fund structures, but the industry is still waiting for tax exemptions and a redomicile option to make full use of the structure. The Limited Partnership Fund (LPF) Bill was passed by the Hong Kong Legislative Council on […]

The post Redomicile options, tax exemptions still on the way after Limited Fund Partnership launch appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

The National People’s Congress (NPC) is expected to endorse the foreign investment law on Friday, in a bid to simplify foreign-related investment processes amid US-China trade tensions. However, some restrictions will remain, including those regulating China’s finance industry. The first draft of the foreign investment law was published in January 2015, since which time China’s authorities have debated and deliberated over […]

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2018 marks a decade since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) — when watchdogs learnt a painful lesson about lax financial regulations and the need for stringency and transparency. Since then, regulators have endeavoured to eradicate misselling from both a regulatory and enforcement perspective as well as establish bank resolution regimes in order to prevent future crises. Here are some regulatory […]

The post Key regulatory trends in 2018 appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

The “broadly unorganised” nature of data collected in accordance with the common reporting standard (CRS) regime could limit the impact of information exchanges between tax authorities, according to a legal expert. While tax experts previously told Asian Private Banker that HNWIs will need to brace themselves for enquiries from tax authorities as the CRS exchange commences, Stefano Mariani, counsel at […]

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The definition of a ‘professional investor’ (PI) will continue to expand, according to Deacons, with industry representatives pushing for an exemption for regulated persons and for more types of assets to be included in the calculation of the monetary threshold. “There have been a number of changes, waivers and modifications of the PI rules over the past few years, generally […]

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The regulatory drive towards fee disclosure may not be so useful to clients because it increases the complexity of documentation and does not point towards possible investment downsides that could possibly eat into client benefits. The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) recently closed a consultation on proposed changes to how discretionary portfolio managers will be regulated under the Fund Manager Code […]

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The first batch of seven approved funds under the much-heralded Mutual Recognition of Funds (MRF) scheme was named last week, out of some 50 initial applications; this sets a cautious tone that many see as deliberate to encourage better subscription rates. Sources also tell APB Mandate that more funds might be approved as early as next month, given that these […]

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