The latest news in investment offerings, financial products and other services relevant to wealth advisors and their clients.

Standard Chartered, BlackRock
London and UK-listed Standard Chartered yesterday announced the launch of its latest sub-fund under its Variable Capital Company (VCC) platform, with US investment manager BlackRock acting as the sub-manager. (VCCs are Singapore-registered structures. 

The Signature Select APAC Allocation Plus fund is an Asia-focused multi-asset strategy designed to serve as a one-stop solution for investors seeking broad Asia-Pacific exposure. The fund provides diversified exposure, investing across equities, fixed income and liquid alternatives, with the aim of delivering long-term capital appreciation alongside income generation, the firm said in a statement.

Using BlackRock’s multi-asset strategies & solutions expertise, the portfolio is allocated across asset classes in APAC, combining systematic equity insights and fundamental fixed income selection to deliver diversified sources of return across market cycles.

The fund will be made available to accredited and professional investors across Standard Chartered’s priority, priority private, and private banking segments in Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE, Jersey, Malaysia, Kenya, and Nigeria, with other markets to follow.

“By combining our open architecture platform with BlackRock’s global multi-asset capabilities, we can provide our clients with a well-diversified, institutional-quality solution to capture opportunities across Asia Pacific region,” Sumeet Bhambri, global head, aAdvisory and Managed Investments, Wealth Solutions, Standard Chartered, said. “This latest addition further strengthens our VCC platform, which is focused on delivering differentiated, hard-to-access strategies that help clients navigate increasingly complex market environments while building resilient portfolios.”

“With strong economic growth prospects across Asia-Pacific and many Asian assets still underappreciated, we see compelling opportunities for active investing,” Andrew Landman, deputy head of Asia-Pacific and head of Asia-Pacific Wealth, BlackRock, added.

This is the bank’s eighth sub-fund launched to-date, and its third fund launch in 2026.

The VCC structure – launched in 2020 – allows investment funds to be domiciled in Singapore. When these entities were rolled out, it was seen as a way for the Asian city-state to compete against rival hubs such as Hong Kong. (See commentary here.) There are also plans to update the VCC regime to make them attractive to single-family offices. See more here.

JCB, MUFG
Japan’s JCB – the payments firm – and MUFG Bank – have agreed to form a strategic alliance across Southeast Asia, targeting affluent citizens and other clients.

MUFG Bank’s partner bank network, investments in digital businesses, and financial infrastructure will be mixed with JCB’s global payment network, Japan’s largest merchant network, and extensive service expertise, the firms said.

The companies said they want to build new value in affluent customer segments and digital payment areas by integrating these capabilities with financial services, such as deposits and investments.

The firms said that in the ASEAN region, “sustained economic growth is driving the expansion of the affluent segment, alongside the growing adoption of digital payments. As a result, demand for financial and payment services is becoming increasingly sophisticated and diverse”.

Using partnerships with MUFG’s partner banks, the firms will offer card products that provide “exclusive and unique experiences and benefits,” in Japan for affluent customers in ASEAN, the statement said.