Investec Asset Management announced today that funds within its flagship Luxembourg-domiciled UCITS Global Strategy Fund range will now have the capability to invest in the Chinese domestic equity market using Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect. Regulatory approval was received in December 2014 and it is believed that Investec Asset Management is the first global investment manager of UCITS funds set up to invest using Stock Connect.
This news follows the award of an RQFII (Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor) licence by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and the allocation of its RQFII investment quota by the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).
In the near future, Investec Asset Management intends to utilise its RQFII licence and quota to launch two new daily dealing UCITS funds in its GSF range, one focusing on Chinese equity exposure and the other on onshore Chinese bonds. This builds on its range of dedicated Asian investment strategies, including the Investec 4Factor All China Equity Strategy and the Investec Asia ex Japan and Investec EM Equity Strategies.
These developments allow Investec Asset Management to provide clients with direct access to mainland Chinese equity markets across both global and regional products in a product structure offering both flexibility and liquidity.
Greg Kuhnert, Manager of the Investec Asian Equity Strategy commented, ‘The A share market represents the other 50% of the China pie previously closed to foreign investors. Because of our long-term investment in the region and investment hub on the ground, this market appears rich with opportunities for investors such as us who are focused on companies demonstrating improving profitability, return on capital, capital discipline and valuations.’