The Dutch pension giant is looking to invest more in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and India, with a particular focus on infrastructure, renewable energy and natural resources.
The Philippine insurer has also raised its cash holdings amid fears of a lingering impact from Covid on the local economy and stock market, says chief investment officer Arleen Guevara.
The state-run Social Security System's CEO believes there is too much political interference in the Philippines pension fund industry, which is adversely affecting its funding and viability.
With family offices and other local investors getting more involved in impact investing, capital deployment should continue accelerating. But structural problems persist across the region
Legislative bottlenecks are delaying the establishment of the development fund. Outstanding issues include the amount to be invested and whether it will use an offshore asset manager.
Swiss Re hires head of China asset management business; BlackRock deregisters its China WFOE; DWS names head of Apac insurance coverage; Amundi appoints first Asia sustainability officer; Manulife IM appoints senior portfolio manager for asset allocation; Morgan Stanley IM hires portfolio manager for A-shares; and more.
CPPIB, Omers and OTPP are busy hiring in the region for investment talent in credit, real assets and particularly equities. Omers is also planning to add office space in Singapore.
Although sustainable funds have seen increasing inflows amid growing environmental awareness and the spotlight on social issues due to Covid-19, the industry still lacks a standard definition of sustainable investing. Nicholette MacDonald-Brown, head of European blend equities at Schroders, explains the firm’s three-pronged approach of people, process and purpose.
Special purpose acquisition companies (Spacs) have gained ground as financing vehicles for companies looking to go public. But Asian family offices have yet to make many investments.
De-risking and green securitisation will help unlock much-needed institutional capital for sustainable infrastructure projects in Asia, say executives at multilateral development banks.
China Pacific Insurance appoints new chairwoman, COO; AMP's CEO to leave by third quarter; Robeco announces duo in senior China roles; Axa IM hires head of institutional sales for Asia; GLP names co-president for logistics; BlackRock sells onshore Korea distribution business; Income Partners poaches head of distribution from Vanguard; and more.
The Canadian and Korean asset management operations of two life insurers have agreed to jointly take advantage of rising institutional investor demand for Asian alternative assets.
The Singapore state fund recently bought into impact investing specialist LeapFrog, and is eyeing more investments that combine strong financial returns with a positive social effect.