Korea

As soaring demand for AI and government policy propel South Korea towards major data centre hub status, international investors must look beyond Seoul and leverage strong local partnerships to address key constraints.

Institutional capital is pivoting towards purpose-built rental, student and senior housing to capture inflation-linked returns.

While the NPS elected to sit out equity market fluctuations, Danantara actively intervened to cushion the market from the threat of an MSCI downgrade.

The National Pension Service is taking advantage of India's regulatory framework reforms and its inclusion in global indexes to expand into government bonds.

Catamaran, the $1.4 billion family office of the Infosys co-founder, is exploring partnerships with component makers from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to build manufacturing capabilities in India.

State-owned investors in India, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand are ramping up allocations towards domestic strategic assets, digital infrastructure, deep tech, and ESG initiatives.

As the pension fund ties manager selection to local proximity, a city in the country's west is now grabbing the attention of local and global asset managers alike.

This week, we saw Danantara backing US energy, Nuveen completing its Schroders acquisition and AirTrunk expanding its regional data centre footprint, as well as new commitments to private real estate debt and active bond mandates.

Major institutional investors across Asia are pouring capital into AI-linked infrastructure, expanding pension platforms and exploring new investment opportunities, while regulators revamp frameworks to support evolving capital flows.

South Korea plans to broaden the sovereign wealth fund's mandate with a KRW20 trillion strategic investment vehicle focused on critical industries.

Investors and policymakers are driving a wave of cross-border capital activity that underscores Asia’s central role in global finance.

Japan’s breadth and liquidity are drawing strategic capital, while Korea offers a potentially stronger re-rating, and Taiwan remains a core but concentrated technology exposure.