The latest M&A deals in wealth management across Asia-Pacific.

Aberdeen Standard Investments 
Aberdeen Standard Investments has acquired Orion Partners, an Asian real estate investment management firm, for an undisclosed amount. The acquired business oversees about $900 million in assets. This adds to ASIs $56.3 billion global real estate franchise.

ASI said that the deal expands its global real estate capabilities and offerings.

“For investors seeking diversification, Asian real estate offers attractive risk-adjusted returns, with less correlation to broader market volatility. Having established a track record across equities, fixed income, private equity and real estate multi-manager investing in Asia-Pacific over the years, this is a good opportunity for us to build out our regional real estate presence. At a time when global investors’ allocation to alternatives and real assets are growing, being able to offer a truly one-stop real estate solution is an integral part of our growth strategy,” Hugh Young, head of Asia-Pacific, Aberdeen Standard Investments, said.

The firm added that its real estate multi-manager business has invested with Orion Partners in Asia-Pacific for more than a decade.

ABCC Exchange
A consortium of investors, including the co-founder of Singapore-based ABCC Exchange, Calvin Cheng, and Singaporean investor Eric Cheng, has acquired a controlling majority stake in the company.

ABCC Exchange, based in the Asian city-state, has offices in Malta and Gibraltar, and was for the most part of the second half of 2018, one of the top 10 exchanges in the world by volume, according to a statement. The exchange has a daily trading volume of $35 million.

Calvin Cheng and Eric Cheng have a track record of acquiring and investing in crypto assets. Eric Cheng became the first foreigner to own a 100 per cent stake in a Japanese FSA-licensed crypto trading platform in May last year, after acquiring Japanese crypto exchange BitTrade for $50 million. He later sold a majority stake in BitTrade to global crypto giant Huobi. In January 2018, Calvin Cheng spearheaded a Hong Kong-based consortium to acquire the assets of BTCC, then the world's oldest crypto exchange.

Following the acquisition, ABCC will continue building its presence in Europe and South East Asia, its two primary markets, the firm said.