Thailand-based Union Overseas Bank Asset Management (UOBAM) has launched an ESG fund aimed at retail investors in Malaysia. The United ESG Series-EAFE Plus Fund will invest in companies from the healthcare, IT and renewable energy sectors in Europe, Australia and the Far East (EAFE). According to UOBAM (Malaysia) chief executive Lim Suet Ling, the fund is designed to give exposure to growth companies outside the US that she describes as “emerging digital innovators” but which also have “ESG considerations” integrated into their business models and practices. “These companies are typically very under-represented in global portfolios,” she said. The fund, which will be managed by Bailie Gifford, has been launched just after UOBAM introduced three funds into the Malaysian retail market under its SimpleInvest Solutions brand. © 2022 funds global asia