Asia

DUBAI - MSCI Barra has opened a sales office in Dubai to cover the Middle East region.

INDIA - The UTI Mutual Fund claims it is to manage a "majority share" of the new R15bn (US$340m) pension scheme for government employees.

INDIA - Four fund managers are to be appointed within the next three months to manage the R15bn (US$340m) collected under the new pension scheme (NPS), the Indian pensions regulator has announced.

ASIA - BNP Paribas Asset Management is looking to set up partnerships in Vietnam in an effort to expand its emerging market offering to institutional investors.

INDIA - India's expenditure on civil service pension schemes risks spiralling out of control, according to the World Bank.

PAKISTAN - Watson Wyatt has extended its reach in Asia by teaming up with Pakistani firm Sidat Hyder.

PAKISTAN - The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has launched a Voluntary Pension System (VPS) and issued certificates of registration that allow four asset management companies to act as pension fund managers.

SOUTH KOREA - Mellon Global Investments has opened a representative office in South Korea to develop its asset management capabilities in the region.

SOUTH KOREA - The overhaul of the civil service pension scheme promised by the government is unlikely to happen until the end of 2007, local media reports have claimed.

TAIWAN - Reform of the Taiwanese pension system for public employees must focus on reducing the NT$8trn (US$245.4bn) sum the government will be forced to spend on pensions in the coming years, said Lu Ming-tai, director of the department for retirement...