The number and variety of exchange traded funds in the Asia Pacific region is expanding faster than in the US and Europe, and Asian institutions are increasingly turning to locally listed products for more cost efficient trading during Asian market hours.
Asian institutional investors have traditionally invested in US or European-listed ETFs because of their greater scale and liquidity. However, Asian bourses are now drawing investors with a rising number of ETF launches, which far surpassed those in other regions last year.
In 2020, Asia Pacific saw 284 ETF launches, more than the combined total of the US (125) and Europe (59), according to data from ETFGI, a consultancy.