Standard Chartered and BlackRock Partner on Asia-Pacific Fund

The new strategy targets accredited and professional investors, focusing on a mix of equities, fixed income, and liquid alternatives to balance capital appreciation with income generation. By leveraging BlackRock's systematic equity insights and fundamental fixed-income selection, the portfolio aims to navigate market cycles effectively. Standard Chartered will roll out the fund across its private banking segments in Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE, Jersey, Malaysia, Kenya, and Nigeria.

Sumeet Bhambri, global head of Advisory and Managed Investments at Standard Chartered, noted that the collaboration provides clients with institutional-quality, hard-to-access strategies. Andrew Landman, deputy head of Asia-Pacific at BlackRock, highlighted that the firm views the current economic growth in the region as a compelling backdrop for active investment. In a separate development, Japan’s JCB and MUFG Bank have formed a strategic alliance to target affluent customers in Southeast Asia, planning to integrate JCB’s payment network with MUFG’s financial infrastructure to offer specialized card products and investment services.