Canadian pension fund Omers opening Singapore office

CANADIAN pension fund Omers will be opening an office in Singapore come January 2018.

The office will be located at One Raffles Quay, and is part of the company's strategy to identify promising investment opportunities in emerging markets, the company said in a press release on Tuesday.

Chief investment officer of Omers Private Markets, Michael Rolland, said that Omer's foray into Singapore is consistent with the company's effort to diversify its global investment holdings. Mr Rolland will lead the development of the company's presence in Singapore.

Additionally, president and CEO of Omers, Michael Latimer said that the firm is proud to establish a presence in Singapore, which is recognised as a major financial hub worldwide.

"We appreciate the many distinct advantages Singapore offers, including the deep expertise of its financial services community, ease of doing business, world-class infrastructure, and connectivity to the rest of Asia," he said.

"The opening of the Singapore office demonstrates the potential we see in the Asia-Pacific region, both from the perspective of making direct investments and from cultivating new investment partners. It is the logical next step in evolving our international footprint," Mr Latimer added.

As at Dec 31, 2016, Omers has more than US$85 billion in net assets. The company has 40 per cent of its assets in Canada, 37 per cent in the US, 17 per cent in Europe, and 6 per cent in other parts of the world.