Established in Singapore since 1986, Lion Global Investors is one of the largest asset management companies in Southeast Asia. Lion Global Investors is a member of the OCBC group, the second largest financial services group by assets in Singapore. As at September 30, 2022, its assets under management stood at USD67.4 billion.
The company has a team of highly experienced fund managers and analysts serving its clients. More than half of the group members are accredited by the Chartered Financial Analyst.
The company has a flexible approach to Asian equity markets, given its oscillating nature and a robust fixed income team. Included in its investment process is integrated risk management, effectively protecting capital and its clients’ investments.
Their approach to investment management has consistently earned the company the highest accolades in the industry. Lion Global Investors won the Best Institutional House in Singapore for the fifth consecutive year in 2022, as recognised by Asia Asset Management.
In 2008, Lion Global Investors set up its branch in Brunei Darussalam, offering a variety of investment and asset management products. Lion Global Investors provides customers institutional solutions with its core strategies and investment process.
State Street is one of the world’s leading providers of financial services to global institutional investors with over 200 years of history, headquartered in the United States (US). The company operates in more than 100 geographic markets worldwide including Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Its venture into the Asia-Pacific region began more than 25 years ago, in line with the company’s goal of increasing its non-US revenue. Today, the company has successfully established itself with more than 10,000 employees in the region.
Responsible for more than 10 per cent of the world’s assets, the financial services company tapped into the Bruneian market in 2011, its third office in the Southeast Asian region after Singapore and Malaysia to solidify its presence in the Asia Pacific market. In February 2019, State Street opened their new office at the Pavo Point building in the capital.
The company’s physical presence in Brunei illustrates its dedication in entering the local market and meeting its clients’ needs. The office offers State Street’s full range of financial services to corporate clients such as investment servicing; investment research and trading; investment management; and support for clients through client servicing and relationship management. Additionally, State Street acts as a gateway for international fund managers interested in Brunei for investment opportunities.
Headquartered in Singapore, UOB Asset Management (UOBAM) established its Brunei subsidiary called UOBAM Brunei (UOBAM (B)) in 2007. UOBAM (B) offers a range of investment solutions including unit trust products across asset classes and geographies to meet different investment needs and goals.
Its investor education programme for institutional clients includes competency-building initiatives such as its annual Chartered Financial Analyst preparatory classes and investment seminars to keep clients abreast of the latest market developments and investment trends.
In 2022, UOBAM (B) won the Best Institutional House (Brunei) and Best Investor Education (Brunei) award at the Asia Asset Management 2022 Best of the Best Awards. This is the first time UOBAM (B) received the Best Institutional House (Brunei) award, while the company previously won the Best Investor Education (Brunei) award in 2019 and 2020.
The firm was recognised for its efforts in helping institutional clients meet investment priorities, such as environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing, and offering bespoke trainings, such as visits to offices in UOBAM’s network, to expand their knowledge on various aspects of fund management. The firm also taps on its regional network of experts across nine regions in Asia such as ESG specialists, multi-asset experts, and fund of hedge fund experts, to offer timely and accurate investment opportunities to clients.
In Islamic finance, one of the ways for market participants to raise capital is through the issuance of sukuk. Sukuk are Syariah-compliant financial products that create returns similar to fixed-income instruments, like bonds. However, sukuk does not collect interest and this has resulted in sukuk’s growing popularity not just in economies with Islamic banking but also in the global market.
Similar to conventional bonds, there are many types of sukuk depending on their structures. One of the most common structures is Al-Ijarah, which is a form of rental or lease contract. The first corporate sukuk in Brunei was issued by Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd in 2005. The following year, the Brunei Government launched the short-term Sukuk Al-Ijarah programme.
Through the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB), the Brunei Government has been issuing short-term Sukuk Al-Ijarah. In November 2022, AMBD announced the successful pricing of its 212th issuance of Sukuk Al-Ijarah securities. With this issuance, the Brunei Government has thus far issued over BND15.84 billion worth of Sukuk Al-Ijarah securities since the maiden offering on April 6, 2006. The total holding of the Brunei Government sukuk outstanding as at November 10, 2022 stood at BND305 million.
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