Standard Chartered launches APAC fund with BlackRock

Standard Chartered has launched an Asia Pacific multi-asset fund with BlackRock as sub-manager. The fund is the eighth sub-fund on the bank's Variable Capital Company platform.

Called Signature Select APAC Allocation Plus, it is designed to provide investors with exposure to Asia-Pacific markets through a single strategy. It invests across equities, fixed income and liquid alternatives, aiming for long-term capital appreciation alongside income.

BlackRock's multi-asset team will oversee portfolio construction. The strategy uses dynamic asset allocation across Asia-Pacific markets, combining equity selection with fixed-income analysis.

The fund will be offered to accredited and professional investors in Standard Chartered's Priority, Priority Private and Private Banking segments in Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE, Jersey, Malaysia, Kenya and Nigeria. Additional markets will follow.

The launch adds to a platform Standard Chartered established in June 2024 to package investment strategies for wealth clients through partnerships with external fund managers. It is the bank's third new fund launch of 2026.

Platform expansion

Variable Capital Company structures are becoming an increasingly important part of Singapore's fund management landscape, as banks and asset managers use them to build umbrella structures with multiple sub-funds. For Standard Chartered, the model provides a framework for introducing curated strategies to clients through a series of launches.

The latest addition also expands the bank's existing relationship with BlackRock, one of the world's largest asset managers. The Asia Pacific focus comes as wealth managers seek to meet client demand for region-specific investment products that combine income and growth across asset classes.

Sumeet Bhambri, Global Head of Advisory and Managed Investments, Wealth Solutions at Standard Chartered, said the launch broadens the offering on the bank's wealth platform.

"We are delighted to deepen our collaboration with BlackRock through the launch of our Signature Select APAC Allocation Plus fund. 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 the Asia Pacific region. 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," Bhambri said.

Asia focus

The strategy is centred on broad regional exposure rather than a single country or asset class. That reflects continued investor interest in diversified Asia allocations at a time when returns across the region have varied sharply by geography and sector.

For Standard Chartered, the geographic spread of the launch underlines the importance of its cross-border wealth business. By making the fund available in markets across Asia, the Middle East, the Channel Islands and parts of Africa, the bank is targeting affluent and high-net-worth clients through its advisory and managed investment channels.

Andrew Landman, Deputy Head of Asia-Pacific and Head of Asia Pacific Wealth at BlackRock, said the asset manager sees scope for active investment strategies in the region.

"We are pleased to deepen our collaboration with Standard Chartered, a valued partner serving high-net-worth clients with a diverse range of investment solutions. With strong economic growth prospects across Asia Pacific and many Asian assets still underappreciated, we see compelling opportunities for active investing. Together with Standard Chartered, we aim to bring our multi-asset investment expertise and disciplined portfolio construction approach to help investors access diversified sources of return and build resilient portfolios through market cycles," Landman said.

The new sub-fund is the latest sign of how large banks are broadening their use of third-party asset managers within in-house wealth platforms, particularly in private banking and affluent client segments where tailored portfolio products are becoming more common. It also marks another step in Standard Chartered's effort to expand its VCC platform through successive launches tied to specialist external managers.