Low interest rates in the United States and throughout much of Asia have driven some of the region's biggest corporations to consider using external fund managers to add punch to cash management, says Michael Winter, executive director and Singapore CEO at UBS Global Asset Management.
Like other investment bank-affiliated investment management firms, UBS' traditional client base in Asia has been central banks and other official institutions, and recently big insurance companies. But recently corporations have become a potential source of business for these houses as well.
Their aims are more modest than traditional institutional investors while a life insurance company mandate demands, say, 300bp over a...