Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management (SMDAM) has announced its entry into the local market in partnership with Axius Partners, an Australian capital formation and capital advisory firm.
According to a statement from Axius, SMDAM – which manages assets of US$148 billion – will initially offer its global equity and Japanese equity strategies to local institutional and wholesale investors.
“Our expansion into the Australian market signifies an exciting chapter for SMDAM,” said Yasuhiro Harada, executive officer of international business department at SMDAM.
“Our commitment to active management and uncovering market inefficiencies through disciplined investment approaches aligns perfectly with the needs of Australian investors.”
Axium noted that SMDAM seeks to identify existing market inefficiencies and turn them into investment opportunities and capture excess returns.
Namely, its global strategy has achieved a gross return of 12.53 per cent per annum since inception in April 2015, outperforming the MSCI World Benchmark of 9.96 per cent per annum.
Axius co-founders George Giovas and John Maragiannis added: “We are delighted to partner with SMDAM, a firm with a successful investment track record, global and Asian market access, and a strong return profile over five decades. This partnership will bring significant value to our clients.”
