Investec Specialist Private Bank has chosen Mercer as its research partner in determing best in class investment products for its high net worth clients.

Investec is an independent wealth management service that caters to customers with at least £10 million in net investable assets. Its partnership with Mercer, which employs more than 70 manager research professionals and works with over 5,500 investment strategies, is expected to bolster its business further, particularly in the fast-growing Asian region.

"Following the global financial crisis, we have seen an increasing trend for private banks to seek manager research from a compliance perspective. By accessing Mercer's skills in manager research, private banks are better able to re-focus on core strengths," said Hansi Mehrotra, the head of Asia Pacific wealth management for Mercer's investment consulting business.

In a statement, Investec said it is interested in accessing Mercer's Global Investment Manager Database and Manager Performance Analytics tools.

Mercer has 14-member wealth management team in the Asia Pacific region working across Melbourne, Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney.