Nikko Asset Management has been recognized for excellence in two categories by the Hong-Kong based publication Asia Asset Management. The firm won the Best of the Best Award for both the Japan: Most Innovative Product and the Singapore: Best RQFII House categories for 2015. This is the second consecutive year for Nikko Asset Management to win the Singapore: Best RQFII House Award.
The Tokyo-headquartered asset manager was recognized with the Japan: Most Innovative Product Award for one of its most innovative products in 2015, the Global Robotics Equity Fund. Launched in August, the fund attracted over 300 billion yen of inflows within three months, driven by Japanese investors’ demand for greater exposure to robotics-related equities. The firm’s research uncovered that fast-growing robotics companies were not well captured with a traditional sector-focused approach to investing. The Global Robotics Equity Fund was the first in Japan to focus on cross-sectoral robotics companies.1
“It’s an honor to be recognized for our excellence in product development and innovation. I believe it’s a strong testament to our firm’s ability to not only recognize global investment trends but to provide our clients with the ability to benefit from them,” said Hideo Abe, director and executive vice chairman at Nikko Asset Management.
The firm was also awarded the Singapore: Best RQFII House Award for its leadership in RQFII solutions. Nikko Asset Management launched Singapore’s first retail China Onshore Bond Fund in July 2014. The fund opened up a highly regulated market with limited foreign investor access to Singaporean investors. Following the launch of the fund, investors were able to participate in the potential growth prospects of China’s onshore bond market. The firm has been a pioneer in the offshore RMB bond fund market in Singapore since 2010.
In September 2015, the firm launched the Nikko AM China Equity fund in Singapore, offering retail investors the opportunity to benefit from the growth potential of the China A-shares market.
“This recognition as Singapore’s best RQFII house validates our position as the industry leader in providing our clients with direct access to China, which is expected to account for 20 percent of global GDP by 2020 and become the world’s largest economy within the next 15 years,” said Eleanor Seet, President of Nikko Asset Management Asia, a subsidiary based in Singapore of Nikko Asset Management.