UBS Asset Management (UBS AM) today announced that UBS Asset Management (Shanghai) Limited, its wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE), has launched the UBS (CN) China Equity Private Fund Series 1.

UBS Asset Management (Shanghai) Limited has completed its initial fund offering to investors and the fund is now officially established. It will start the fund registration process with the Asset Management Association of China (AMAC) soon.

UBS AM becomes the first foreign asset manager to launch an onshore equity fund in China, hard on the heels of becoming the first Qualified Domestic Limited Partner (QDLP) license-holder to receive a Private Fund Management (PFM) license in July 2017.

The fund will invest primarily in the A-share market and is available to both qualified institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) based in China. Zizheng Wang, a portfolio manager at UBS Asset Management (Shanghai) Limited with more than seven years' experience in A-share investment and research, will manage the fund.

“From a long-term perspective, UBS AM sees sustainable growth in the Chinese economy and opportunities in the A-share market. Blue-chip stocks in the A-share market are fairly valued and leading companies across numerous sectors are enhancing their international competitiveness, leading to attractive investment opportunities. This new fund will adhere to our experienced China Equity team's mature and robust growth investing philosophy and bottom-up investment process, as well as Asset Management's proprietary risk management system,” says Wang.

Rene Buehlmann, head of Asia-Pacific at UBS Asset Management, adds, “China is an important growth market for UBS AM and we are committed to bringing domestic clients a new range of services and offerings. Our new private fund, the first equity fund to be offered in China by a foreign manager, underscores that commitment. We aim to be a leading asset manager in China for both onshore and offshore investors.”

Aries Tung, head of strategy and business development China, at UBS Asset Management, says, “The track record of our offshore China equity investment products has given us the confidence to establish our onshore private fund. As China continues to liberalise its market, domestic investors are looking to both traditional and alternative assets for a broader investment universe and diverse opportunities. UBS AM has a comprehensive plan to develop its business in the China market and will gradually roll out various asset classes, including fixed income and alternatives.”