Vanguard to close Hong Kong, Japan operations

U.S. asset manager Vanguard Group said on Wednesday it will close its operations in Hong Kong and Japan and exit Hong Kong exchange-traded funds, citing unsupportive "industry dynamics". The fund giant, with about $5 trillion in assets, said in a statement that its Hong Kong business primarily served institutional clients and not retail investors, which are its primary focus. Vanguard, which launched a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE) in China in May 2017, said it will "gradually cease (its) onshore presence in Hong Kong and make an orderly exit" from its Hong Kong ETF, Mandatory Provident Fund and Index-Tracking Investment Schemes businesses.