London-based investment manager Sarasin & Partners, part of Switzerland’s Bank Sarasin, has launched a new emerging markets fund billed as a low-cost way for investors to access these markets.

The Dublin-based Sarasin IE Emerging Markets Systematic Fund, which is structured as a unit trust, will invest equally in 19 countries from the MSCI Emerging Markets index. Its broad aim is to access smaller, more dynamic economies that have traditionally outperformed larger countries, the firm said.

It will invest in unfunded swaps from major investment banks, and rebalance back to equal weightings in all 19 countries on a monthly basis. By eliminating stock picking, the fund will remove subjectivity and manager risk from the investment process and avoid liquidity issues that can arise with some stocks, especially those of smaller companies, Sarasin added.

The fund will have three share classes for investors: retail, platform and institutional. When accessed through a platform, it will have an annual management charge of 0.65 per cent and a minimum investment of $1,000.