The Amundi HK Global Ageing Planet Opportunities Fund will invest in sectors such pharmaceuticals, healthcare, security and automobiles, which the firm has identified as beneficiaries of the trend.
“We are actually already witnessing massive ageing – in Japan, in Europe, and to a lesser extent in the US. What is remarkable is that Asia is catching up with these countries very quickly,” said Vafa Ahmadi, head of thematic equities at CPR Asset Management, a subsidiary of the Amundi Group.
By 2050, Europe’s elderly population is forecast to grow by 45%, but in Asia the growth rate is 114%, Ahmadi said, citing United Nations statistics.
“This is the cornerstone of our investment thesis. It creates many opportunities as there are many dimensions to ageing, from care providing to the leisure sector. In our eyes, ageing is the emerging economy,” Ahmadi added.
Ahmadi is an investment advisor to the CPR Silver Age Fund, which is also based on the ageing theme and launched in Europe in 2009.
“[This] is clearly an innovative and new theme in Asia, especially in China and Hong Kong,” added Xiaofeng Zhong, chief executive of Amundi North Asia.
“Another key advantage is that this trend is permanent and non-cyclical compared to other investment strategies. It is not affected by the economic cycle and can be almost considered as stable,” Zhong added.
The launch of the Hong Kong-domiciled fund comes just after the July 1 launch of the Mutual Recognition of Funds initiative, which allows cross-border selling of funds to retail investors in Hong Kong and mainland.
