HSBC Global Asset Management is to launch a pair of ETFs tracking emerging market indices.
The manager plans an ETF covering China and another tracking Bric (Brazil, Russia, India and China) indices before the end of April. A Japan fund is likely to follow within the first half of the year.
The new products are the latest clutch of more than 30 European ETFs HSBC plans to launch by the end of 2010 and follows the launch last year of vehicles covering the FTSE 100, Cac 40 and Dow Jones indices.
HSBC believes ETFs are one of the fastest growing areas in the investment management industry and aims to be a leading provider within the next few years.
It says the new launches will strengthen and reflect its long-held focus on emerging markets.
"As more providers enter the European ETF space, we believe each of the players will have to specialise and become known for a specific product within the ETF landscape," HSBC head of market proposition David Chellew says.
"Rather than pick from a whole range of ETF products all under one roof, clients will have more of an opportunity to use different ETF providers for different specialist categories of product."
He adds: "We are keen to have our ETF business closely associated with emerging markets, albeit ensuring we have the main asset classes covered in terms of equities, bonds and commodities, which wealth managers are looking for when they are building portfolios."
HSBC is still finalising the details but says the Bric ETF is likely to follow the S&P Bric 40 index while the Japan vehicle should track the MSCI Japan benchmark.
