Japanese bank launches internal Asian hedge fund

Mizuho Securities Asia will soon launch an internal Asia ex-Japan CB arbitrage fund, which it will incubate with proprietary capital. Katsuo Okuno, Mizuho's Hong Kong-based managing director and chief executive, expects the fund to open to outside investors after developing a one-year track record. He predicts that Japanese institutions as well as high-net worth individuals will be interested in the product. In addition, he says that European and US institutions looking for diversi…