Hong Kong wealth boom momentum is lifting bank profits and drawing global firms back to the city, as wealth and investment management income grows at double-digit rates, industry executives said. HSBC reported a 50% jump in deposits in its latest quarterly results, with about 70% of the increase coming from non-residents, while the Hang Seng Index is up more than 30% year to date. Peter Stein, chief executive of the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association,

BBVA has led a USD30m funding round in Olea, a digital supply chain finance platform, as the firm looks to scale digital trade finance across Asia and other key global corridors. The funding round included XDC Network, theDock and SC Ventures, the innovation arm of Standard Chartered. BBVA and Olea said they will deepen a partnership signed in June 2025, developing digital trade finance solutions using AI, data analytics and blockchain to strengthen risk management and supply

Hong Kong-domiciled funds saw assets under management rise 36% year-on-year to HKD2.27tr (USD29bn) in the third quarter, highlighting the city’s resilience and deeper integration with global markets, according to the Securities and Futures Commission. The number of locally domiciled funds increased 7.8% to 1,022 as of September, with net inflows of HKD46.9bn during the quarter. SFC chief executive Julia Leung Fung-yee said Hong Kong’s markets showed steady and diversified gro

DIFC hedge funds have reached the 100-fund mark as Asia-focused managers increasingly use Dubai as a base to trade across time zones, with the Dubai International Financial Centre saying it is building a top-five global hub. DIFC said the number of hedge fund managers doubled to 100 from 50 at the start of 2024, and 81 of the managers oversee more than USD1bn each. New arrivals in 2025 include Baron Capital, BlueCrest, Squarepoint and Silver Point, alongside established firms

PE and VC fundraising remained subdued in 2025, with global venture capital funds raising USD64.4bn in the first nine months, less than half of 2024’s total, according to Preqin. Asia-Pacific was the weakest region, with USD9.5bn raised compared with USD34.2bn in 2024, as investors stayed cautious on new commitments. Private equity funds raised USD507bn, around 73% of last year’s level, and Preqin expects a modest full-year decline. Exit activity showed signs of recovery, wit

Hong Kong’s initial public offering (IPO) market is forecast to raise up to HKD350bn (USD45bn) next year as momentum from mainland Chinese issuers and technology listings lifts the city back toward the top tier of global exchanges, KPMG said. The firm expects 180 to 200 listings in 2026, implying as much as a doubling in deal numbers and a 28.7% jump in proceeds from this year, when about 100 newcomers raised HKD272bn. Much of the activity has come from A+H listings, which br

South Korea’s mergers and acquisitions market has entered one of its busiest periods on record, supported by strong risk appetite and a more than 70% year-to-date surge in the KOSPI, with Citi advising on a series of high-profile transactions. Recent deals include EQT’s roughly USD930m acquisition of a controlling stake in cloud software provider Douzone Bizon, described as Asia’s largest B2B software transaction outside Japan, and the IMM Investment–KB Balhae consortium’s 49

Nomura Asset Management is expanding its international trainee program as it plans to relocate dozens of staff from its Tokyo headquarters to overseas hubs, including London and New York, to strengthen investment and sales capabilities and deepen its pool of globally trained professionals. The initiative comes as Japan’s regulator has flagged competitiveness gaps among domestic asset managers, even as reforms to tax-free NISA accounts draw more households into investing. Nomu

China’s securities regulator has urged the country’s roughly 160 mutual fund houses to introduce performance-based pay structures under tightening China mutual fund pay rules, increasing oversight of an industry shaken by recent scandals and Beijing’s “common prosperity” drive to rein in excessive earnings. Draft guidelines issued by the China Securities Regulatory Commission would allow fund performance to account for as much as 80% of managers’ annual pay, the official Secu

Private credit and core-plus infrastructure are expected to offer attractive risk-reward profiles for investors seeking diversification away from equities in 2026, Temasek chief executive Dilhan Pillay said at Abu Dhabi Finance Week. He said private credit provides senior-position exposure within the capital structure, while core-plus infrastructure can deliver stable, long-term cash yields from assets such as data centres and energy-transition projects. The comments build on

Asia remains under-invested despite strong fundamentals and attractive valuations, according to DBS’ chief investment office. Senior strategist Daryl Ho said lingering caution after years of weak performance has kept investors on the sidelines even as opportunities strengthen across dividend and growth assets. Dividend yields in Singapore and China hover around 5%–6%, while technology earnings in Asia excluding Japan are forecast to grow in the mid-20% range in FY2026. Ho not

Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) has appointed 10 asset managers to oversee the 2025 capital batch of its New CIES investment portfolio under the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme, with the pool expected to reach at least HKD3bn(USD390m), HKIC said. The appointed firms cover venture capital, private equity, private credit and hedge fund strategies and include Abax Global Capital, Beyond Ventures, CMC Capital, FirstLight Capital, Hidden Hill Capital, M Capital, Polymer

Union Bancaire Privée (UBP) has launched its first Singapore VCC fund for family offices, using the city’s Variable Capital Company structure, an umbrella regime that allows multiple ring-fenced sub-funds with distinct strategies. The fund will be run by UBP’s Singapore discretionary portfolio management team and can invest across public markets and alternatives, including hedge funds and private markets, while also allocating to third-party managers. UBP said it is targeting

Japan’s Daiwa Securities Group will make a minority investment of about JPY5bn(USD32m) in Ambit Wealth, strengthening the Daiwa Ambit Wealth investment partnership in India’s fast-expanding wealth sector, the Nikkei reported. Ambit Wealth, which serves ultra-high-net-worth clients and family offices, had assets under management and advice nearing USD10bn as of 31 March 2025, according to Daiwa. Daiwa said it aims to share its portfolio-strategy and marketing expertise with Am

Vietnam’s investment banks are expanding hiring in anticipation of a major Vietnam IPO wave after FTSE Russell confirmed in October it will upgrade Vietnam to secondary emerging-market status effective 21 September 2026, pending a March 2026 review. VnDirect plans to lift investment-banking headcount 20%–30% over the next 12–18 months, while Vietcap may increase staffing by up to 40% next year. Dragon Capital forecasts more than USD40bn in IPO proceeds during 2026–2028, a sha

Analysts expect the Malaysia banking sector to maintain resilient earnings following the latest reporting season, although net interest margins declined sequentially for most lenders and may remain under pressure into the first half of fiscal 2026. Kenanga Research said system loans rose 5.4% year-on-year in October, aligning with its 2025 target of around 5.5%, while deposits grew 3.7% as customers shifted to shorter-tenure fixed deposits ahead of festive-season liquidity ne

Citigroup has appointed Yuko Nakayama as head of equity capital markets for its Japan investment banking franchise, strengthening its Japan equity capital markets franchise as competition intensifies for dealmaking talent. Effective immediately, Nakayama will lead the Japan ECM team and report to Taiji Nagasaka and Akira Kiyota, with matrix reporting to Harish Raman and Kenneth Chow. Nakayama previously worked at Citi from 2009 to 2015 before moving to Goldman Sachs and later

Investor and real estate developer Eldiyar Muratov said family offices will increasingly replace banks in the next market cycle, arguing that Hong Kong family offices and private syndicates can move faster than traditional institutions. He said compliance-heavy bank processes often require months of paperwork, while ultra-high-net-worth investors can act swiftly and directly. Muratov noted rising dealmaking in Dubai, Singapore and wider Asia, where two or three families pool

Malaysia’s fund management industry recorded MYR1.15tr (USD219.46bn) in assets under management at end-September, up from MYR1.07tr at end-2024, regulatory data showed. The increase was driven by a broad global equity rally. Equity funds climbed 11.3% to MYR566.84bn, while bond funds rose 5.7% to MYR261.62bn. Money market funds grew 2% to MYR147.1bn, and private equity funds increased 3% to MYR18.44bn. The performance came as major markets strengthened, with the Dow Jones Ind

Temasek-owned Seviora Group will fold in fellow Singapore subsidiary Pavilion Capital to form an integrated asset manager overseeing about USD72bn of assets. The combined platform will strengthen offerings across private equity, private credit, public markets and financing. Pavilion will retain its brand and pan-Asia strategy while marketing products under the Seviora umbrella. Seviora CEO Gabriel Lim said the integration will broaden capabilities and help attract third-party