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Singapore's GIC Builds Julius Baer Stake
Tom Burroughes
5 June 2019
sovereign wealth fund, figures show. That stake is some way behind other major owners such as UBS Fund Management (Switzerland), MFS Investment Management, and T Rowe Price Associates. Source: Julius Baer
GIC’s stake was disclosed earlier this week by Julius Baer, and media reports said the fact will be a vote of confidence in a bank now led by chief executive Bernhard Hodler. He became CEO after his high-profile predecessor quit late in 2017 to join Swiss private bank Pictet (a move which took some investors by surprise).
As previously reported, Julius Baer’s assets under management at the bank grew by 12 per cent to SFr427 billion ($429.7 billion) in the first four months of this year.
Julius Baer, which bought the non-US wealth arm of BoA Merrill Lynch about five years ago, and which has built out operations in Asia, has made a big point about the importance of Asia to its future business.
A few weeks ago, SCB Julius Baer, the joint venture with The Siam Commercial Bank, launched formal operations following the receipt of the necessary licences in Thailand.
Reports noted that GIC was previously a large shareholder in UBS, and reports also said that GIC declined to comment on the disclosure.