Wellington and Standard Chartered Remove Upfront Fees
Wellington Management has expanded its partnership with Standard Chartered Bank, introducing exclusive no-load share classes of the Wellington Asia Quality Income Fund for the bank’s clients in Singapore – a move that sharpens its competitive positioning in a fee–sensitive wealth market.
The new offering, announced on Monday, builds on a collaboration established in 2024, when Wellington’s Credit Total Return strategy was made available exclusively to Standard Chartered’s private and retail banking clients in Singapore and Hong Kong.
That strategy, delivered through an award-winning UCITS vehicle, has grown to more than $1.3 billion in assets under management in under two years, demonstrating strong client uptake.
Long–Term Investment Tilt
The newly introduced Class B Shares of the Asia Quality Income Fund eliminate initial subscription fees, lowering the barrier to entry for investors. The structure includes a contingent deferred sales charge of two percent if redeemed within three years, an incentive designed to promote longer–term investment behaviour rather than short–term trading.
Chia Chia Chng, Head of Southeast Asia Wealth at Wellington Management, said the expanded partnership reflects a shared focus on resilient income strategies.
«This collaboration underscores our commitment to providing investors access to quality solutions designed to deliver income and capital appreciation,» she noted, highlighting the appeal of dividend strategies amid growth concerns, trade policy uncertainty, and geopolitical risk.
Disciplined Approach to Asia ex-Japan Equities
Managed by veteran portfolio manager Naveen Venkataramani (pictured above), the actively managed fund targets high-quality, dividend-paying companies across the Asia ex-Japan region. The strategy focuses on three categories – Dividend Compounders, Dividend Leaders, and Dividend Surprisers – emphasizing strong balance sheets, competitive advantages, and sound corporate governance.
According to Venkataramani, dividends have historically accounted for around 65 percent of total equity returns in Asia ex-Japan. «Asia’s dividend payout has room to grow,» he said, citing improving cash-flow generation and relatively low corporate leverage as supportive factors for future income growth.
Why the Move Matters For Wealth Platforms
For financially savvy investors and distributors, the partnership illustrates a broader industry shift: global asset managers and banks are using targeted fee structures and exclusive access to differentiate offerings in competitive wealth hubs such as Singapore.
By combining Wellington’s scale – $1.3 trillion in assets under management – with Standard Chartered’s regional distribution strength, the initiative aligns product design with evolving client expectations around cost transparency and income resilience.
