As Asia’s wealthy investors, risk appetites improve following the financial crisis, many are starting to turn to private bankers for advice on how best to structure their investment portfolios, writes Elisa Trovato

In 2001, Goldman Sachs Investment Research coined the concept of Bric (Brazil, Russia, India, China), identifying some of the world’s fastest growing economies. It was forecasted that the Bric economies could collectively rival the G7, in terms of share of global growth, by 2050. They now believe the speed of development is such they could rival the G7 by 2032

Private investors looking to access growth in Asia’s emerging markets should consider investing in global funds, therefore taking advantage of Western companies looking to source increased profits from the region, writes Elliot Smither, although some local specialists remain unconvinced about this strategy

Indonesia and central Asian Muslim countries are seen as the next target markets for Sharia investments, which emerged largely unscathed from the financial crisis, writes Ceri Jones, but strict rules are off-putting to some

The Ucits structure of HSBC’s new fund of hedge funds promises greater levels of liquidity, but how closely will it replicate the performance of the offshore hedge funds it tracks? Yuri Bender reports

Although UBS continues to suffer outflows, the bank’s efforts to rein in costs are starting to take effect. Total assets under management have risen due to investment performance and it is well positioned to take advantage of the expanding wealth management sector in emerging markets, writes Sebastian Dovey

Andreas Wölfer, head of UniCredit Private Banking, is tasked with bringing the myriad brands under his control together to provide a more centralised model, but this is likely to meet with some resistance, writes Yuri Bender