Executive Summary
Asia is a continent of contrasts, with huge variations in
natural resources, business environments, and cultures.
Southeast Asia, in particular, is made up of a mix of mature,
emerging, and frontier markets, reflecting economies
that are uniquely diverse. Asset management firms will
need to navigate the challenges outlined below that come with
Southeast Asia's diversity in order to come out on
top.
The lack of a common
cross-border mutual fund
regime is one of the
biggest challenges facing the region.
For many years, asset managers have waited for an Asian
equivalent of Europe's successful UCITs directive, the
European regulatory framework for investment vehicles. In
2013, not one but three possible versions of
cross-border mutual fund initiatives across Asia
were announced:
