Franklin Templeton has appointed Rahul Bhalla to the newly created role of head of Asia ETF distribution, marking the firm’s first foray into the Asian ETF market.
Bhalla will work closely with the regional distribution team to drive growth and raise the profile of Franklin Templeton’s ETF business in Asia. He will also be responsible for developing and implementing the firm’s long-term ETF business strategy for Asia.
Based in Singapore, he reports to Patrick O’Connor, head of global ETFs, as well as Tariq Ahmad and Matt Harrison, co-heads of APAC.
Bhalla was previously head of Amicorp Asset Management Singapore and before that was head of business development for Asia Pacific at HIS Markit as well as head of south Asia at Vanguard Investments.
“Accessing the rapidly growing Asian ETF market is a huge step in the continued evolution and expansion of the firm’s ETF business and having Rahul on the ground will allow us to navigate today’s markets to deliver better portfolio outcomes for our clients’ futures in the region,” said O’Connor.
“We look forward to further expanding our product offering in Asia with the introduction of ETFs, resulting in the deepening of our capabilities to develop bespoke solutions that cater to evolving client needs in the region,” said Ahmad.
Franklin Templeton offers over 100 ETFs globally accounting for roughly $12bn in assets under management (AUM). In July, it announced plans to more than quadruple its AUM to $50bn over the next three years.