With family offices in India emerging rapidly, the focus is on becoming more professional, using tech to manage assets and exploring new investment classes, says the founder of family office Sattva Ventures.
Insurers
Mainland life insurers are seeking training in areas such as asset allocation, asset-and-liability management and liability-driven investment, heralding a major shift in approach.
Many Asian life firms missed Japan’s stock rally, but are mulling boosting exposure now with embedded downside protection, and fund houses are also eyeing capital protection, says Société Générale.
The firm's regional head of sales, Charmian Wan, says Asian institutions are looking at less traditional fixed-income plays such as convertible bonds for the first time.
The bank is to become the second foreign custodian to enter the market from next month, with insurers tipped to be allowed to lend out their equity holdings around the same time.
And smaller financial advisory firms will see consolidation as a result of the city-state’s move to overhaul its laws on providing investment advice.
Singaporean insurers are not finding the current low-yield environment as much of an issue as their peers in the region, but seem to be diversifying into alternatives.
One of the country's smaller insurers eyes offshore fixed income such as infrastructure debt, as larger peers also move to diversify their portfolios.
Asian insurers should consider providing corporate financing to boost investment yields, argue BlackRock and Société Générale.
The firm is striving to get its funds on more bank platforms in Hong Kong, and Myles Morin is leaving the territory to head a similar effort in Canada.
