The global asset management firm will open an office in Singapore, on the back of strong regional growth.

Barings' country operations, which will serve as a hub for Southeast Asia investment opportunities, will be led by SooHai Lim, managing director and head of Asia equities ex-China, who will relocate to Singapore from Hong Kong, the firm said in a statement on Thursday.

The firm said the Singapore office will give it more direct access to banking institutions and institutional investors in the country, as well as highly skilled local talent, while enhancing its investment research.

There will be four investment professionals and three non-investment professionals based here, with plans to expand in the coming years, Barings said.

«Important Gateway»

«Asia Pacific is an important growth engine for Barings and a full presence in Singapore will serve as an important gateway to additional South-East Asia investment opportunities to help us better serve our existing clients, and build new client relationships,» Mike Freno, Barings chairman and CEO, said about the expansion.

As of September 30, 2020, Barings had $354 billion in assets under management across public and private fixed income, real estate, and specialist equity markets.