AsianInvestor picked up two awards for reporting on pensions and investments issues across the region at the State Street Institutional Press Awards Asia Pacific yesterday. It is the third consecutive year that AsianInvestor has been recognised.

Min Ho, reporter at AsianInvestor, was named Best Newcomer on the strength of two entries: one focusing on fears about potential insider trading ahead of the launch of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect scheme; and the other in AsianInvestor's May 2014 magazine edition on policymakers in Beijing warming to the idea of the US’s Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.

 

Separately, Ho was also cited as a finalist in the pensions category for his coverage of Hong Kong’s Mandatory Provident Fund.

Finalist for pensions coverage

Ho wrote a feature in AsianInvestor’s June 2014 magazine issue in which he took the MPF Authority to task on the need for stronger advocacy to drive public engagement. He followed that up with an article online examining the positives and negatives of proposals by the MPF Authority to introduce fee-capped core funds and passive investing.

This is the third year these awards have been held in Asia. The judges received more than 100 submissions from publications in Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore and Australia.

The entries were judged by an independent panel of industry professionals led by Tom Leander, Asia editor-in-chief at Lloyd’s List. He expressed confidence that the competitive spirit was growing in the coverage of Asian investment and markets.

“A majority of the entries demonstrated enterprise, imagination and professionalism in their coverage,” Leander said. “Thankfully this made the judges’ challenge more difficult.

“Asia is rapidly gaining stature as a global financial centre. Strong, fair and insightful reporting keeps markets honest, regulators on their toes and gives investors knowledge and better choices. I am pleased to report that the 2014 field of competitors have done just that.”

The judging panel also comprised professor Anthony Fung, director at the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Barrie Dustin, veteran financial journalist; Paul Smith, managing director for Asia Pacific at The CFA Institute; Sally Wong, CEO of the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association; and Wu Chen, head of editorial (Asia Pacific) at EuroFinance.