Editor’s note: This article first appeared on Fund Selector Asia.
New York-headquartered BNY Mellon Investment Management has launched three thematic strategies under its “Future” investment range. They are the Future Earth, Future Food, and Future Life strategies, according to a statement from the firm.
The strategies will be available to professional investors in Hong Kong and accredited investors in Singapore, the firm noted.
The launch of the new funds expands on the firm’s thematic equity range, which include the Mobile Innovation Fund, the US Municipal Infrastructure Debt Fund and the Global Infrastructure Income Fund, according to Doni Shamsuddin, head of Asia-Pacific ex-Japan at BNY Mellon IM.
The new Future strategies are managed by Newton Investment Management, an investment firm part of BNY Mellon IM, which has a global thematic investment approach since its founding in 1978, the statement noted.
The managers of the strategies are Charles French, head of equity opportunities at Newton IM, and Yuko Takano, co-lead manager of both the Newton Sustainable Global Equity Strategy and the BNY Mellon Sustainable Global Equity Strategy, Shamsuddin told FSA.
The BNY Mellon Future Earth strategy invests in companies that proactively contribute to an
overall shift towards helping protect the earth’s environment and natural resources, according to the statement.
The BNY Mellon Future Food strategy invests in companies that are set to benefit from opportunities associated with the demand for new food and technological innovations across the global food supply chain.
Meanwhile, the BNY Mellon Future Life strategy invests in companies worldwide that are set to benefit from opportunities associated with an ageing global population and the changes which will drive in consumer demand for products and services.
“We see the trend towards thematic investing is only going to grow over the next few years. Themes are always evolving, but in recent years the pace of change has accelerated,” Shamsuddin told FSA.
“The pace of accelerating change will be compounded by the recent events of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a short period of time since the pandemic took hold, winning trends have been accelerated while losers have been left by the wayside.
“The pandemic’s influence on major themes, from the future of our plant and food security to the nature of demographic change and consumer spending, will continue to be felt for many years to come,” he added.
