Alternative investments to flourish in Hong Kong

Measures proposed by the Hong Kong government to develop the country's alternative asset industry are expected to drive demand for hedge funds and private equity, meaning wealth managers should position their product and service offerings accordingly.

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Asia Pacific booking centers overtake Switzerland

The recent scandals that have engulfed the most prominent Swiss wealth managers, instigating outflows of billions of Swiss francs to other wealth centers, have impacted the role of Switzerland as a top booking center for global HNW individuals. This has contributed to the emergence of Singapore and Hong Kong as among the foremost wealth centers globally in terms of assets held.

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Asia Pacific credit cards: HSBC's Hong Kong example leads the way

On April 24, 2006, HSBC announced it had experienced double-digit growth in credit card take-up and spending across Asia Pacific over 2005. In particular, the success in Hong Kong's highly concentrated market is commendable. This growth is expected to continue in the near future with emerging economies, in particular China, increasingly using credit cards as a method of payment.

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Asia will pull in wealth as the rest of the world pushes it away

The shift in gravity of the wealth management market will continue its slide east in 2011, with more international clients being serviced from Singapore and Hong Kong. While neither city will rival the US, the UK, or even Switzerland in terms of global client assets under management, 2011 will see the gap narrow as growth in wealth managed from these cities accelerates ahead of the market.

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Asian hedge funds: false hope

Fund managers in Hong Kong and Singapore are already developing new hedge fund products, as governments plan to liberalize regulations. However, there's little fit between hedge funds and their new target, retail investors. There may soon be a lot of disappointed asset managers across Asia - and a waste of valuable marketing resources.

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Asian millionaires: a tough bunch

The number of Asian millionaires is still increasing, despite global market volatility. Asia's economies have seen strong economic growth, while income inequality has not diminished. The combination of evolving investor preferences, increasingly rich investors, and limited competition makes Asia increasingly seem the wealth management market to be in.

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Balance is key to averting Asian credit card turmoil

Recent events in South Korea have overshadowed more general concerns about the direction of Asian credit card markets. While turmoil in South Korea has been the most high profile, Datamonitor's Alex Boorman argues that the contributory factors are not too dissimilar from those that are noticeable elsewhere in the region...

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Bank of China HK: a wealth of opportunity

Bank of China Hong Kong [BNKHF.OB] reported a rise in earnings of 17.3% in 2003 and attributed its success to its wealth management and foreign exchange businesses. The announcement comes at a time when expansionist wealth management strategies are increasingly focused on the Asia Pacific region and this earnings news could prompt even more interest in the region.

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Bank of China's private bank to gain at least $2.9bn in AUM from its own clients

Bank of China (Hong Kong) has announced the launch of a private bank. It is prioritizing organic growth in its expansion strategy rather than acquisition. Based on Datamonitor's modeling of Hong Kong's affluent market the bank could pick up at least $2.9bn in client assets from its retail customer base in the city. The 30 private bankers it has hired initially are likely to be only the start.

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Bass: beer money buys another hotel

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