Official institutions seek new horizons

24 April 2014
| By Staff |
image
image
expand image

Official institutions — defined as central banks, sovereign wealth funds and public pension reserve funds — are looking to invest in new markets and a broader range of assets in their search for greater returns, according to a report by State Street.

The research reveals changed investment objectives post the GFC crisis period, as official institutions strive for higher returns whilst safeguarding economic growth and stability in their role managing national wealth.

This has resulted in expanded investment parameters where central banks have moved away from G3 government bonds into emerging market debt and equities, while sovereign wealth funds are investing in private equity, commercial real estate and increasingly infrastructure projects.

Despite concerns about the challenges associated with new markets and asset types, 80 per cent of official institutions surveyed in the report expect to increase their exposure to new markets, where they have the appropriate mandate.

This move into new asset types is creating new levels of portfolio complexity, which presents challenges in the areas of currency risk, market risk and the need to manage the diverse regulatory requirements of international markets, said the report.

Official institutions are required to be more adaptable to new risks with an efficient yet resilient operating model to meet challenges identified in this research, said State Street head of Official Institutions Asia Pacific, Henry Quek.

"This means reducing costs while not compromising on standards, finding the right combination of people, process and technology to support investment needs and operational challenges, and using the right data to generate insights that support better-informed investment decisions," said Quek.

Read more about:

AUTHOR

Recommended for you

sub-bgsidebar subscription

Never miss the latest developments in Super Review! Anytime, Anywhere!

Grant Banner

From my perspective, 40- 50% of people are likely going to be deeply unhappy about how long they actually live. ...

11 months ago
Kevin Gorman

Super director remuneration ...

11 months 1 week ago
Anthony Asher

No doubt true, but most of it is still because over 45’s have been upgrading their houses with 30 year mortgages. Money ...

11 months 1 week ago

Jim Chalmers has defended changes to the Future Fund’s mandate, referring to himself as a “big supporter” of the sovereign wealth fund, amid fierce opposition from the Co...

1 day 17 hours ago

Demand from institutional investors was the main driver of growth in Australia’s responsible investment (RI) market in 2023, as the industry continued to gain momentum....

1 day 17 hours ago

In a new review of the country’s largest fund, a research house says it’s well placed to deliver attractive returns despite challenges....

1 day 18 hours ago