The journey for an active ETF from product launch to institutional portfolio in Asia can take years, as chief risk officers and due diligence teams move slowly to get comfortable with their innovative structures.
Insurers are pivoting to long-term strategies, diversifying into alternative assets to generate the stable cash flows needed to match their long-term liabilities.
A move away from US assets is accelerating as investors seek refuge in European bank debt, a market offering stability from ECB policy and insulation from tariffs and geopolitical ructions.
With capital market rotations accelerating and old models breaking down, the Hong Kong-based life insurer sees building in-house agility as key to generating alpha and managing risk.
Anchored by its $5.2bn Future Fund, the Gulf state is financing a domestic energy transition and using Hong Kong as a gateway to access key technology and partnerships.
With US monetary policy entering a new phase, Asian credit markets are attracting attention thanks to cleaner corporate balance sheets and an attractive yield profile.
With the long-standing dominance of US funds questioned due to outflows, Asian markets including South Korea, China, and Taiwan narrowed the performance gap and attracted new interest on the back of strong rebounds.
Despite rapid growth and rising institutional interest, Asia’s ETF industry remains fragmented and constrained by regulatory and retail barriers — leaving it far behind the US in scale and accessibility.
With renewables now cost-competitive, investors are pivoting to grid modernisation and storage solutions where ageing infrastructure, AI-driven power demand and geopolitical complexities collide, industry experts say.
The Hong Kong insurer is navigating geopolitical uncertainties by focusing on alpha generation through fundamental research and dynamic asset allocation, according to CIO Richard Chan.