Key Takeaways
- • BNP Paribas and Singapore Management University jointly established Asia's first dedicated Hedge Fund Centre with a S$1.4 million funding commitment, officially launched on November 22, 2006, in collaboration with the London Business School.
- • The Centre will operate as a complementary academic institution to the five-year-old BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre at London Business School, with Melvyn Teo (Assistant Professor of Finance at SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business) appointed as Director.
- • The initiative targets three core objectives: conducting high-quality academic research on hedge funds, educating finance practitioners and the investing public, and elevating the hedge fund industry's profile across Asia and Singapore specifically.
- • Strategic positioning in Singapore—described as "the crossroads of Asia"—enables the Centre to generate research and analysis with specialized focus on hedge fund development in Asian markets, differentiating it from its European counterpart.
- • Patrick Fauchier, Chairman of Fauchier Partners, played an instrumental role in facilitating the collaboration, with an Advisory Board and Research Board to be formally appointed for ongoing governance and practitioner engagement.
Summary
BNP Paribas and Singapore Management University have established Asia's first Hedge Fund Centre, a S$1.4 million initiative announced on November 22, 2006, and developed in partnership with the London Business School. The creation of the BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre at SMU represents a strategic expansion of academic hedge fund research and education into the Asia-Pacific region at a time of accelerating investor interest in alternative investments globally.
The Centre is designed to fulfill three complementary mandates: undertaking and disseminating high-quality academic research in hedge fund strategy and markets; educating finance practitioners, institutional investors, and the broader investing public about hedge fund mechanisms and performance; and raising the profile of the hedge fund industry across Asia. The initiative builds upon the foundation of BNP Paribas' existing five-year-old Hedge Fund Centre at London Business School, with the new Singapore facility positioned to operate as a complementary research hub focused specifically on Asian hedge fund market dynamics.
Melvyn Teo, Assistant Professor of Finance at SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business, has been appointed Director of the Centre. Patrick Fauchier, Chairman of Fauchier Partners, played a key coordinating role in establishing the collaboration between the French banking group and the Singapore institution. The Centre's governance structure will include a formally appointed Advisory Board to guide strategic direction and a Research Board designed to facilitate knowledge exchange between industry practitioners and Centre management.
Singapore's geographic position as a major financial hub with proximity to key Asian capitals makes it an optimal location for the Centre to conduct region-specific research on hedge fund growth, manager performance, and market development in Asia. This locational advantage allows the SMU centre to generate insights and analysis tailored to Asian market conditions while maintaining intellectual coordination with its London counterpart, creating a global network of hedge fund academic research spanning Europe and Asia.
The Centre is designed to fulfill three complementary mandates: undertaking and disseminating high-quality academic research in hedge fund strategy and markets; educating finance practitioners, institutional investors, and the broader investing public about hedge fund mechanisms and performance; and raising the profile of the hedge fund industry across Asia. The initiative builds upon the foundation of BNP Paribas' existing five-year-old Hedge Fund Centre at London Business School, with the new Singapore facility positioned to operate as a complementary research hub focused specifically on Asian hedge fund market dynamics.
Melvyn Teo, Assistant Professor of Finance at SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business, has been appointed Director of the Centre. Patrick Fauchier, Chairman of Fauchier Partners, played a key coordinating role in establishing the collaboration between the French banking group and the Singapore institution. The Centre's governance structure will include a formally appointed Advisory Board to guide strategic direction and a Research Board designed to facilitate knowledge exchange between industry practitioners and Centre management.
Singapore's geographic position as a major financial hub with proximity to key Asian capitals makes it an optimal location for the Centre to conduct region-specific research on hedge fund growth, manager performance, and market development in Asia. This locational advantage allows the SMU centre to generate insights and analysis tailored to Asian market conditions while maintaining intellectual coordination with its London counterpart, creating a global network of hedge fund academic research spanning Europe and Asia.
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