Citi launches Asian bond market guide

MANILA, Philippines - Citi has released the new market guide Market Infrastructure Developments Impacting Asian Bond Markets to help industry participants navigate the rapidly changing Asian fixed income landscape.

The Asian bond markets are expanding rapidly and are expected to remain strong throughout the year.

As a global top tier custody and clearing provider, Citi offers unique insights to help clients establish an efficient and scalable process to access the rapidly developing Asia Pacific bond markets.

Citi is present in over 95 markets and the world’s largest proprietary custody network in over 60 markets, with direct custody services across 17 markets in Asia Pacific for bonds as well as equities on clearing and settlement.

“We have compiled a summary of key market infrastructure changes impacting bonds, along with a high level snapshot of the size and trading, clearing and settlement infrastructures on a country by country level within the Asia Pacific Region,” David Russell, regional head, Asia Pacific for Citi Securities and Fund Services, said in a statement.

Russel said that the guide highlights developments in Hong Kong and China, Islamic bonds, and the Pan-Asian CSD Alliance to help keep industry participants abreast of these developments in the Asia Pacific region.

The robust fundamentals of Asian economies and corporates provide fixed income investors with attractive yields when compared with bonds in developed markets.

Persistently strong demand from insurers, central banks and sovereign wealth funds indicates that Asian bonds will remain an important part of a diversified investment portfolio and that the regional market will extend last year’s pace of record issuance. 

“This guide helps to further promote issuance and facilitate demand of local currency denominated bonds and support the development of related infrastructure for the bond markets,” Russell added.

Securities and Fund Services provide customized solutions that support the diverse investment and transaction strategies of investors, issuers and intermediaries worldwide.  Offering a suite of investment administration, portfolio and fund services, trust and custody and investment and financing solutions, it helps clients meet the challenges of issuing, managing and distributing financial products and services in today’s complex and competitive marketplace.

“We offer direct access to more global markets through our unmatched proprietary custody and banking network, delivering the access, intelligence and insight our clients need to help meet their day-to-day needs and pursue their strategic objectives,” the Citi official said.