Aberdeen Asset Management has launched five funds, including the debut of multi-asset strategies for retail investors, simultaneously for sale to the public in Singapore.

The five funds are Aberdeen Asset Management's (Aberdeen) first Luxembourg-domiciled funds to be available direct to retail investors in Singapore, under the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) recognised scheme, the asset manager said in a media release.

Aberdeen foresees continued demand for yield and new sources of return. This comes amid mixed signals in markets over the effect of a potential roll-back in quantitative easing and rising interest rates.

Low Volatility

The new funds invest in areas such as catastrophe bonds, aircraft leasing and corporate loans. These are typically accessed via closed-end structures.

According to Nicholas Hadow, Director of Business Development, Aberdeen’s approach to multi-asset differs from the majority of competitors because of its wide diversification, emphasis on low volatility and avoidance of complex derivatives.

Local Input

Mike Brooks is in overall charge of the strategies, heading a team of five in Edinburgh. Alongside him Irene Goh, Head of Multi-Asset Solutions, Asia Pacific has been building local teams to manage regional assets.

Aberdeen’s multi-asset division globally has 60 strong investment professionals, with approximately $113.2bn in multi-asset mandates as of 31 March 2017.

Something Different

«We’re confident our multi-asset products, which promise to be the first of many alternative strategies, will help change investor perceptions. What we offer is something different in a market which is far from saturated and where existing manager concentration may encourage a search for new providers,» said Hadow.

The five new funds are: Aberdeen Global – Australian Dollar Income Bond Fund Aberdeen Global – Multi Asset Growth Fund Aberdeen Global – Multi Asset Income Fund Aberdeen Global – North American Smaller Companies FundAberdeen Global – Select Emerging Markets Bond Fund.

Merger Concerns

As finews.asia reported Aberdeen's merger with Standard Life is expected to lead to as many as 800 job cuts, it is not known how the Asian operations will fare.

The deal between the two managers is expected to be completed next month.