People moves
Franklin Templeton Investments has appointed Manraj Sekhon as Singapore-based chief investment officer for emerging markets equity, effective 19 February. He will be responsible for overseeing the emerging markets equity teams across the firm and will report to Stephen Dover, the firm’s head of equities. Before joining Franklin Templeton, Sekhon was previously the CEO and chief investment officer at Fullerton Fund Management, where he left in 2016…
BNP Paribas Asset Management has appointed Guillaume Wehry as Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific chief marketing officer. In this newly created role, Wehry will work with the regional heads in wholesale distribution, institutional sales as well as brand communications to further define and develop marketing strategies among the firm’s integrated businesses within the region. He will report locally to Ligia Torres, the firm’s Asia-Pacific CEO, and functionally to Roger Miners, global chief marketing officer. Before joining the firm, he was previously Amundi’s regional head of marketing and communication for Asia ex-Japan…
Robeco has appointed Tom Keenan as Singapore-based head of wholesale for Asia ex-Japan, effective 20 February, subject to regulatory approval. He will be responsible for leading the wholesale business for the firm in the region and focus on expanding relationships with intermediaries, including banks and wealth managers, insurance firms and independent financial advisors in the region. He will report to Graham Elliot, head of distribution for Asia-Pacific. Before joining the firm, he was previously Blackrock’s head of private bank and wealth distribution for Asia ex-Japan and head of iShares ETF specialist sales in Hong Kong…
T Rowe Price has appointed Wenting Shen as Hong Kong-based solutions strategist for Asia-Pacific within the firm’s Asia-Pacific multi-asset division team. Reporting to Thomas Poullaouec, head of multi-asset solutions for Asia-Pacific, Shen is responsible for working with the team to create customised multi-asset solutions. Before joining the firm, she was previously Blackrock’s vice president for multi-asset solutions, where she was responsible for leading the firm’s Asia model portfolio business…
Wells Fargo Asset Management has appointed Wai Lee as New York-based global head of research within the firm’s multi-asset solutions team. Before joining the firm, he was head of quantitative investments at Neuberger Berman, where he won he firm’s first mandate from China, a multi-asset strategic partnership with a sovereign wealth fund…
Vontobel Investment Banking has appointed Long Lee as Hong Kong-based head of financial products for Asia, effective 5 February. He will be responsible for Vontobel’s entire structured products business in Asia-Pacific with a focus on Hong Kong and Singapore. Before joining the firm, Lee was previously Leonteq Securities Hong Kong’s CEO, where he managed several sales teams that advise institutional investors, private banks, family offices and financial intermediaries in Greater China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea…
The Monetary Authority of Singapore has appointed Lucien Wong, Singapore’s attorney general, to be a member of the regulator’s board of directors. Wong’s term will be from 1 February to 31 May 2020…
Hong Kong licences
US-based Metlife Investment was awarded licences for asset management, advising on securities and dealing in securities in Hong Kong by the Securities and Futures Commission last month, according to the regulator’s records. Metlife Investment manages around $583bn in assets in behalf of institutional investors, such as insurance companies, public and private pension funds and sovereign wealth funds. FSA sought more information from Metlife Investment, but the firm declined to comment about the new Hong Kong licences…
Barings Investment Advisers (Hong Kong)’s licences for asset management, advising on securities and dealing in securities were removed last month, according to the regulator’s records. The firm received those licences in May 2009. FSA sought more information from Baring Asset Management about how the firm is affiliated with the group and why its licences were removed, but the firm has not replied as of this writing…
ETFs
Amundi’s ETF business saw record net inflows of €10m ($12.49m) globally in 2017, increasing its AUM to €38bn, according to a statement from the firm. The increase in AUM represents a doubling of net new assets compared to 2016…
Fintech
The Fintech Association of Hong Kong and Fintech Australia have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen the ties between each other’s fintech industries. Both countries’ governments have supported each others’ fintech initiatives. In July last year, Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission signed a fintech cooperation agreement, creating a framework to support and understand financial innovation in each market…
Millennials
Fund providers globally run the risk of ascribing too many differentiating factors to millennials when targeting the generation, warns Cerulli Associates in a report. “Of course, fund marketers should address any specific preferences and concerns that millennials may have. However, while there is some evidence, for example, that they are more likely to buy ESG funds, they are also similar to the wider fund-buying public,” Angelo Gousios, director of European retail research at Cerulli Associates, said in the report…
