In 2015, Asian institutions hold an estimated $12 trillion in investment assets—up from just $7 trillion in 2011. Amid this remarkable growth in portfolio assets, allocations to domestic bonds dropped from 40% of institutional assets in 2009 to 28% in 2015. Growing numbers of Asian institutions are now allocating assets based on their own specific risk appetite and regional focus—a trend Greenwich Associates expects to continue and even accelerate in coming years.
Methodology
Between January and March 2015, Greenwich Associates conducted 112 interviews with the largest institutional investors in Asia. Senior fund professionals were asked to provide detailed information on their investment strategies, quantitative and qualitative evaluations of their investment managers, and qualitative assessments of those managers soliciting their business. Countries and regions where interviews were conducted include Brunei, China, Hong Kong/Macau, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.