Relocating back office functions to offshore processing hubs has become common for large asset managers in Asia. Nicholas Pratt looks at some notable examples and the most popular offshore locations.

Global custodians and other international players are being inundated with enquiries from clients that see the mutual fund recognition scheme between Hong Kong and China as the next big opportunity. Nicholas Pratt explores at the issues that still remain unresolved.

As collateral management becomes a bigger issue for asset managers, Nicholas Pratt examines the efforts to make collateral more mobile.

Assets of sharia-compliant funds and conventional funds are still commingled in Indonesia, but custodians say that as Islamic finance grows they might be asked by the regulator to separate the two. Stefanie Eschenbacher looks at the custody business.

Returns far greater than those in other regions are luring lenders into Asia’s securities lending markets. Judith Evans finds that South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia may hold the greatest untapped potential in the short to medium-term while China and India remain frontier territory.