Hong Kong

Kwap property arm appoints CEO; VFMC names new CEO as Lisa Gray retires; MSIG Singapore promotes Mack Eng as CEO; Monroe Capital opens first Asia office in Seoul, hires head from Aberdeen; Vanguard Australia appoints new MD to relocate from US; HSBC AM expands EM debt team; Vantage FX hires from CGS-CIMB in Singapore; and more.

The enlargement of the Bond Connect scheme, announced on Wednesday (Sep 15), gives Chinese investors another option for allocating capital offshore.

Under the Wealth Connect scheme launched on Friday, both mainland and Hong Kong markets are expecting higher capital flow between the two regions.

MAS names sustainability head; Malaysia’s EPF appoints COO and CFO; GIC PE head for SEA leaves; State Super hires new exec; Hesta appoints chief growth officer, chief Debby Blakey appointed to corporate governance board; ex-BlackRock exec joins IQ-EQ in Singapore; HSBC AM builds direct real estate team; ex-Vanguard head of distribution joins LGIM; Sanne names Singapore head; and more

Generally, however, Asian pension funds’ allocations to alternative assets demonstrated only a modest increase of 0.6% from 2019 to 2020.

Credit Suisse appoints Apac head of wealth planning; Deutsche Bank Wealth Management bolsters Southeast Asia team; Bank of Singapore hires from UBS Investment Bank; UBS Global Wealth Management names Apac co-heads; UOB hires from Julius Baer for new private wealth arm; Barings appoints MD for Apac private finance group; ex-Nomura banker joins EquitiesFirst as MD and Singapore head; and more

Yin Haining and Markus Egloff join KKR as managing directors for its client partner group; QIC CIO to retire, promotes Allison Hill; Fidelity China President resigns; AIA Singapore appoints chief distribution officer; PE fund appoints VP of ESG and risk; Haitong International hires global head of asset management from Goldman Sachs; and more

Asian insurers and pension funds are partnering up with logistics experts to strategically invest in logistics real estate across the globe.

Australian Catholic Superannuation and NGS Super abandon merger plans; ASX 200 has no all-male boards for the first time; CIC posts 6.82% 10-year net returns; Cambridge Associates applies for licences to conduct business in Hong Kong; Korea's NPS records 7.49% returns for H1 this year; Korea Post seeks managers for ESG stocks mandate; GIC invests in Hong Kong ESG data start-up MioTech; and more

AustralianSuper promotes deputy equity head; StateSuper appoints senior manager for liquid alternatives; Afma appoints chief executive from Promontory Australia; Hang Seng Bank names new chief executive; HSBC appoints Southeast Asia head of sustainable finance; Ruffer to close HK office, head to retire; Bank of New Zealand CEO rejoins NAB as digital chief; and more.

A surge in early withdrawal applications from the city's pension fund follows the dramatic increase in the number of UK visa applications by Hong Kong residents.

State-backed Chinese investors will bail out Huarong Asset Management, which unveiled $15.9 billion losses; Hong Kong insurer FWD planning $3 billion IPO in the US; MPF posts 28% investment return and 35% jump in assets; Korea's Poba seeks two managers for multi-asset mandate; NPS divests entire 11.5 million shares in General Electric; Malaysia's PNB and Khazanah pledges to increase sustainable investments; and more

HSBC Asset Management names Michael Cross as global fixed income CIO; Jessica Jones has been appointed PGIM Asia head; Eastspring welcomes former HSBC Apac CIO; BlackRock names Apac index investments head; Haitong International launches family office business; Jupiter hires from AllianzGI; State Street names Apac collateral lead; and more.

Domestic agencies tend to rate domestic firms more favourably than their foreign peers, but the difference is particularly striking in China.

Despite the high-level defaults, investors haven’t yet lost all confidence in China's high-yield bond market - especially those from property developers - but a selective approach will be essential.

Sydney Airport rejects second takeover bid by consortium joined by AustralianSuper; Australia's FSC launches new charter to boost female representation in fund management; China's privately offered funds hit $3 trillion; GIC invests in China warehousing and industrial real estate with ESR Cayman and APG; Japan's new university fund looks to invest in alts and foreign stocks; and more.

Excited by the opportunities in disruptive technologies, the Singaporean investment group is taking a hands-on approach to blockchain.

Residential, logistics and data centres are expected to see sustained interest, while office, hospitality and retail sectors could see a recovery in the next 2-3 years.

Aldcroft has been in the fund and asset management industry in Asia Pacific for nearly four decades, and will be taking a short break in the UK before returning to Hong Kong next year.

JP Morgan appoints Andrew Creber as Australia and New Zealand chief executive; State Street appoints country head for Japan; Aberdeen hires David Hanzl and Sean Lee for Asia distribution roles; Fidelity hires from Hesta for sustainable investing role; AMP hires from QSuper; Mercer appoints sustainable investment consultant; and more