Assets invested in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and exchange-traded products (ETPs) in the United States reached a record high of US$7.21 trillion in 2021, up 31.9% from US$5.47 trillion at the end of 2020, ETFGi says. Net inflows also recorded a record high of US$919.78 billion for the year, beating the prior record of US$490.19 billion in 2020.

Vietnamese conglomerate TTC Group, digital financing platform Validus, and investment fund Do Ventures have formed a joint venture to drive financial inclusion and the growth of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam.

Index provider MSCI has announced various senior leadership changes, effective immediately.

The year 2022 will be pivotal for active exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as industry participants believe that active ETF opportunity – more so than the strategic beta or passive one – is currently the most significant.

Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) (SCBHK) has agreed to acquire RBC Investor Services Trust Hong Kong, allowing it to expand into the MPF and ORSO schemes trusteeship business in the city.

Regulatory reforms and credit defaults in the property sector are pushing Chinese trust companies to look for new ways to survive in the harsh business environment.

PineBridge Investments appoints Nicolas Kopitsis as head of wealth management for Asia.

While ESG investing has yet to become mainstream in China, the country’s green initiatives, especially its pledge to reach carbon emissions peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, have helped the concept to gain traction. Excluding money market funds, total ESG mutual fund and exchange-traded fund (ETF) saw AUM more than triple in 2020 to reach US$28.5 billion, while net inflows reached US$10.5 billion.

The global hedge fund business returned +1.58% in December 2021, bringing the aggregate return for the industry for the year to +10.00%, data from eVestment show.

Gold and commodity investors are urged to hedge their risk in 2022 as volatility continues to grip the market in the wake of interest rate hikes and resurgent demand coupled with supply chain issues.

Union Bancaire Privée (UBP) has appointed Robert Phua as head of wealth planning for South Asia.

HSBC Asset Management (HSBC AM) has launched a fund that will invest in a diversified portfolio of global assets under its sustainable investment strategy: the HSBC Global Sustainable Multi-Asset Income Fund.

The Asset speaks with Andrew Shirley, the editor of Frank Knight's The Wealth Report, on the 2022 outlook for passion investments such as classic cars, art and wine, and the market for digital art.

Deutsche Bank has appointed Mathew Kathayanat as Asia-Pacific head of securities services product management.

Presenting three scenarios on how various digital assets will develop in the coming years.