Having explored space-sector investments for clients, DBS is now sharpening its focus on longevity opportunities, aiming to capitalise on the secular shift toward longer life and advanced healthcare. “We’re at a unique moment where scientific breakthroughs, significant capital flowing into the [longevity] sector, and undeniable demographic shifts are converging, with the sector increasingly becoming mainstream,” said Hou Wey Fook, chief investment […]

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Asset managers Neuberger Berman and Lazard Asset Management have told Asian Private Banker that they have been offering U/HNWIs more thematic funds through their private banks channel to meet a growing interest. Investor interest in thematic funds has increased markedly in recent years. According to Morningstar, AUM in such funds had grown nearly threefold in two years to US$806 billion […]

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 The impact investing market is estimated to have expanded to $715 Billion earlier this year, with Asia Pacific investors likely to increase exposure in impact and thematic investing over the next three years. We speak to Pascal Dudle, Head of Listed Impact at Vontobel Asset Management to find out what Asian investors need to know when it comes sustainable […]

The post APB Thought Leaders: Impact and Thematic Investing, what Asian investors need to know? appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

After speaking with Stephen Jue, Allianz Global Investors’ smart cities expert, it is hard not to have a bad case of John Naisbitt on the brain. In 1982, Naisbitt’s seminal book Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives evoked science-fiction authors Arthur C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov as he hazarded guesses about what today’s world would look like. He got […]

The post Forty years in the making, smart cities could be US$3 trillion opportunity for private banks appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

The Pictet Thematic Private Equity — Technology fund of funds (FoF) has completed a final close at its hard cap of US$350m, according to an announcement by the Swiss bank on Tuesday, highlighting how regional investors are boosting their exposure to alternative assets. The FoF was launched in October 2020 with a targeted size of US$300m. Managed by the thematic […]

The post Pictet’s thematic tech PE fund closes final round at US$350m hard cap appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

HSBC Friday said it is adding a new environmental, social and governance (ESG)-themed structured note in Asia as demand for such investments gathers steam among the region’s U/HNWIs. The London-headquartered bank said the note will consist of securities that rate in the top 50% by ESG score in their respective industries. Within the note, investors can opt for underlying securities […]

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After a steep hike in inflows that significantly bulked up their share in the global fund universe, thematic strategies still have more room to grow for investors in Asia, according to Morningstar. The region’s maturing ESG awareness will bolster investor interest and lead to more product launches with themes related to sustainability, it added. Morningstar’s latest research on global thematic […]

The post Momentum in thematic funds to sustain for Asia investors — with more ESG flavours appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

In terms of decarbonising their investment portfolios, investors in Asia lean towards thematic strategies more than their European and North American counterparts, according to the 2021 Robeco Global Climate Survey. “When APAC investors think about decarbonisation, they think much more about engaging with companies and driving the transition through strategic asset allocation and thematic investing, rather than divesting directly from […]

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BNY Mellon Investment Management has expanded its thematic product shelf with the launch of three equity strategies — Future Earth, Future Food, and Future Life — all within its “future” investment range. The strategies are actively managed global portfolios with a focus on equities positively correlated with topics such as climate change, the revolution in food production, and increased consumer […]

The post BNY Mellon unveils “future-themed” equity strategies aimed at HNWIs appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Thematic or megatrend equity funds or DPMs have been driving major inflows for quite a number of private banks in Asia this year. Yet, HNWIs are getting more selective as a diversified multi-theme strategy may no longer meet their needs. Gabriel Chan, head of investment services, Hong Kong, BNP Paribas Wealth Management, told Asian Private Banker that year to date, […]

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A volatile investment environment has been making it increasingly hard for banks to reach a consensus view. Yet, some fund investment opportunities tend to perform resiliently in any given scenario. Jansen Phee, head, funds investment solutions APAC, UBS Global Wealth Management told Asian Private Banker that the UBS house view sees potentially three different market recovery scenarios – ‘U shape’, […]

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Thematic and sector-related funds attracted more than US$230 billion in net inflows in 2018 despite risk-averse investor sentiment prompting a notable sell-off of assets. According to Morningstar, which was unable to provide details on where the flows had originated from, technology-themed mutual funds enjoyed the largest inflows in 2018, totalling more than US$114 billion, followed by consumer goods and services-related […]

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Predominantly driven by private banks, there exists a “clear trend” of fund flows shifting from the bond space to global thematic equities, BNY Mellon Investment Management told Asian Private Banker. In early 2018, BNY Mellon IM launched a mobility innovation strategy for its private clients in Japan which raised US$1 billion on day one and has since grown to almost […]

The post PBs’ demand for thematics is “second to none”: BNY Mellon IM appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Despite recent market volatility, BlackRock has been seeing higher demand for long-term thematic funds from its private clients in the region year-to-date. However misconceptions surrounding thematics persist, the firm told Asian Private Banker. The year-to-date sell-off of risky assets has dented investor sentiment, with most private banks in the region taking a more defensive stance — for example, by increasing […]

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HSBC Private Banking (PB) has unveiled its top four investment themes for the second half of the year, against an economic backdrop of global synchronised growth, favourable earnings momentum, and a prudent monetary tightening trajectory. Overall, the bank expects global GDP growth to register a healthy 3.0% in 2018 and 2.9% in 2019, with emerging markets and the US serving […]

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Thematic equity strategies are set to remain an important offering for Asian private banking clients, as advisory services driven by investor desire for capital growth persists, according to Jupiter Asset Management (Jupiter AM). Over the past 12 months, Jupiter AM has seen healthy demand for thematic and niche strategies, told Peter Swarbreck, the firm’s head of Asia Pacific. He noted […]

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Against a robust global economic backdrop, Credit Suisse has revealed its five key investment themes for 2018 that the bank believes will benefit from a sustained solid growth story. Theme 1: EM winners Emerging markets (EMs) have performed “extremely well” in 2017, with MSCI Emerging Markets Index recording around 30% returns year-to-date. Driven by growth momentum, Credit Suisse expects next year […]

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Global financial markets have made strong gains this year, with the MSCI World Index recording a 16.1% return YTD. Against this backdrop, Deutsche Bank Wealth Management has revealed its 10 updated investment themes for 2017. Multidimensional Divergence Expected fiscal policy measures (i.e. corporate tax reform and infrastructure spending) and the reduction of regulations should support US growth, benefitting the dollar. […]

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Similar to 2016, BNP Paribas Wealth Management believes that 2017 will be a volatile year and is advising investors to build a more diversified portfolio. “I know it sounds boring but investors need to diversify,” says Prashant Bhayani, managing director, chief investment officer Asia, BNP Paribas Wealth Management. “They may not have needed to do so during the strong fixed […]

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Rainer Baumann, head of portfolio management at SAM, an investment boutique that focuses on sustainable investing, says the new-age Asian private banking client is a solution-seeker who looks to find ends to existing problems, even unprecedented ones such as the nuclear disaster at Fukushima. Baumann says investors were quick to spot trends that arose from the tragedy in Japan – […]

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