Pictet Asset Management, which runs a series of thematic funds, has launched an equity strategy using urbanisation as a theme through which to invest in transportation, property and sustainable-resources management.
The firm has created the Pictet-SmartCity fund and targets companies that are “finding smarter solutions to the challenges posed by rapidly increasing urbanisation”.
The Ucits-compliant fund also invests in infrastructure, technology and services that support the development of better urban environments, including recreation.
Pictet AM has repositioned its High Dividend Selection fund in order to launch the smart city theme and the SmartCity fund size is about 631 million.
A smart city as a city able to collect, aggregate and analyse data in order to solve the challenges it generates, such as pollution, crime and disease, the firm said.
Ivo Weinöhrl, a senior investment manager, manages the fund and is supported by Lucia Macaccaro.
Weinöhrl said the addition of the SmartCity fund to Pictet AM’s $42 billion (€36 billion) thematic range offered an original investment proposition.
“Cities are having to adapt to manage rapidly growing populations, while seeking to reduce their environmental impact. This is creating abundant investment opportunities for our clients,” Weinöhrl said.
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