A Hong Kong billionaire has sharply increased his gold allocation, highlighting a shift in family office portfolio construction amid rising geopolitical risks. Value investing veteran Cheah Cheng Hye has lifted gold exposure to about a quarter of assets at his USD1.4bn family office, up from roughly 15% a year ago, according to people familiar with the matter. Cheah said he mainly buys and holds physical gold and highly liquid vehicles, avoids derivatives and borrowing, and f

China has tightened stock-market regulation as authorities seek to curb excessive speculation and engineer a more sustainable rally. The China Securities Regulatory Commission said it wants to prevent sharp market swings after turnover and margin financing surged to new highs in January. Chinese exchanges will raise the minimum margin requirement for new margin-financing borrowings to 100% from 80% from Jan 19, a move approved by the watchdog and aimed at reducing leverage in

Hong Kong is accelerating a paperless trade finance push as regulators seek to modernise documentation and improve credit access for small and medium-sized enterprises. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has released a 20-measure roadmap under Project CargoX to expand paperless trade finance across the city. The plan focuses on using cargo and trade data to speed up automation, upgrading digital infrastructure to enable paperless documentation, and strengthening connecti

Asian UHNWIs cross-border mobility is accelerating, and family offices are emerging as the primary structuring response as ultra-wealthy families adapt to increasingly mobile wealth, according to a commentary by Ocorian. Wealth growth in Greater China has outpaced Southeast Asia, with the UBS Global Wealth Report 2025 showing China’s millionaire population rising by more than 380 people a day in 2024. Ocorian said younger Chinese entrepreneurs are driving outward mobility foc

Hong Kong is accelerating plans to build a Hong Kong gold central clearing system and aims to launch a pilot this year, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said. Chan said demand to diversify away from U.S. dollar assets has lifted gold’s role as a reserve and hedge. Spot trading on the Hong Kong Gold Exchange more than doubled year on year to HKD2.9bn (USD372m) a day by November 2025, but many deals still settle bilaterally over the counter, creating inefficiencies, he said. At th

China Q4 GDP growth slowed to a three-year low as domestic demand weakened, even as the full-year pace met Beijing’s target, official data showed. Gross domestic product grew 4.5% in October–December from a year earlier, easing from 4.8% in the third quarter, while 2025 growth came in at 5.0%, the National Bureau of Statistics said. A record trade surplus and firmer industrial output underscored exporters’ resilience, but consumption and investment remained soft amid a prolon

A billionaire wealth surge drove global fortunes up 16% in 2025 to a record USD18.3tr, widening economic and political divides, anti-poverty group Oxfam said as the World Economic Forum opened in Davos. Oxfam said billionaire wealth rose at three times its recent pace last year, extending an 81% gain since 2020, even as one in four people struggle to eat regularly and nearly half the world lives in poverty. The group said billionaires are 4,000 times more likely than ordinary

Multi-family office Farro Capital has strengthened its sustainable investing capabilities with the appointment of a new impact and sustainable finance head, as family offices increase allocations to responsible strategies. Singapore-based Farro Capital said it has hired Priyaka Dhingra as head of impact and sustainable finance to mobilise capital from family offices into projects spanning climate change mitigation and adaptation, new technology deployment and social developme

Fiera Capital is expanding Japan private markets distribution with a senior hire as it builds its local presence and targets institutional and family office investors. The Canadian asset manager said it has appointed Chinatsu Aoyama as director and private markets specialist in Japan, based in Tokyo, to support distribution of strategies across real estate debt and equity, natural capital, infrastructure, private credit and private equity. She reports to CJ Morrell, managing

HSBC Private Bank is bolstering its Asia wealth planning capabilities through a series of senior hires aimed at deepening client coverage and advisory strength. HSBC Private Bank said it expanded its Global India coverage team in Singapore by appointing Phaneendar Bhavaraju and Rangan Krishnan as senior relationship managers reporting to Manoj Ramarao, senior desk head for Global India in Singapore and Hong Kong. Bhavaraju brings more than 28 years of experience across privat

The Family Office will convene Saudi royals and global investors at its annual Red Sea investing summit, highlighting the growing role of the region in global family office portfolios. The Gulf-based wealth manager said its Investing Is a Sea summit will be held from Jan 29 to 31 on Shura Island on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, under the framework of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 programme. Discussions at the Red Sea investing summit will cover global macro conditions, portfolio

KKR has raised USD2.5bn for an Asia-Pacific performing private credit strategy as investors, including family offices and institutions, seek yield outside public markets. The capital includes USD1.8bn for KKR Asia Credit Opportunities Fund II and USD700m from separately managed accounts targeting similar opportunities, the firm said. KKR described ACOF II as the region’s largest pan-regional performing private credit fund, following its first Asia-dedicated vehicle that close

Family offices are becoming increasingly professionalised and formalising governance as wealthy families prioritise long-term capital preservation, according to the 2025 Global Family Office Compensation Benchmark Report published by Mondaq in cooperation with KPMG Private Enterprise and recruiter Agreus. The study, based on a survey of 585 family-office professionals and 20 interviews with senior executives, found that more offices now operate as standalone entities rather t

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

JPMorgan Chase & Co will discontinue Aumni’s services worldwide, with the Aumni shutdown affecting operations in the Philippines where the venture-capital analytics unit represents around 1% of the bank’s roughly 25,000 employees, according to local media and a bank statement. The shutdown also covers Aumni’s operations in the US, Britain and India, although JPMorgan emphasised that the Philippines remains a critical hub for its broader activities. People familiar with the ma

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan met representatives from Hong Kong family offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia in London this week, intensifying efforts to draw private wealth and fintech firms to the city. The discussions highlighted how Hong Kong family offices remain central to Hong Kong’s global outreach strategy. UK-based digital bank Revolut is among the companies preparing to establish operations in the city after meeting Chan, according to people fa

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

Asia M&A 2025 activity fell 19% to USD284bn in the first nine months, marking the region’s weakest performance in a decade, according to Boston Consulting Group. In contrast, global M&A rose 10% to USD1.94tr, its second consecutive annual increase. North American dealmaking surged 25% to USD1.2tr, while Europe slipped 5% to USD375bn. Technology, media, and telecoms dominated global activity at USD536bn, followed by financials and real estate at USD357bn and industrials at USD

China QFII rules 2025 will see a major overhaul as the China Securities Regulatory Commission announced plans to simplify entry and operations for qualified foreign investors. The new framework introduces a “green channel” for sovereign wealth, pension, and charitable funds while expanding access to ETF options and commodity futures for hedging. CSRC Chairman Wu Qing said the reforms aim to enhance China’s market inclusiveness, adaptability, and competitiveness. The regulator