The Emergence of ETFs in Asia-Pacific

This book is dedicated to examining Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) market in the Asia-Pacific region between 2004 and 2017. It offers a broad examination of the attributes and development of the ETF markets. The book presents a new approach to ETF markets modeling that uses innovation diffusion model. In addition, it explores the empirical links between ETFs and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The book also compares ETFs and competing investment options. This book should appeal to both academics and practitioners as it includes detailed descriptions of the ETF markets and prepared projections regarding their future development. As the Asia-Pacific region plays a significant role in the global economy, this book should be useful for international readers beyond this area.

The Emergence of ETFs in Asia-Pacific begins with an overview of the Asia-Pacific economies, focusing on their importance for the global economy and their features. Next, the bookintroduces an analytical framework. It explains major features of ETFs (such as their creation, distribution, and trading) and key categories, which facilitates profound understanding of the book merit even for readers with little knowledge about ETFs. The following chapter explores the role of ICTs in economy and society identifying channels of their impact on financial markets. It discusses how ICTs foster dynamic spread of financial innovations (including ETFs) across financial markets. Next, the book examines the ETF market's development in different countries in the Asia-Pacific region, by analyzing their level of development in terms of turnover. In this part it also provides brief characteristics of all markets, including their structures and categories of ETFs in various countries. Consecutive part of the book is dedicated to reports on the process of ICTs growing penetration across Asia-Pacific countries, showing the changes observed during recent years. It then continues the empirical analysis of the ETF markets in the Asia-Pacific region by attempting to trace the links between the development of ETF markets and ICT penetration during the period 2004-2017. As complementary material, a methodological annex is included showing major analytical techniques used throughout the research.

Adam Marszk is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Management and Economics, Gdansk University of Technology (Poland). He is CFA charterholder and member of the CFA institute. He has authored and reviewed many publications in local and international journals (including Journal of Macroeconomics and Technological Forecasting and Social Change), focusing on financial innovations, linkages between financial markets and economy, financial systems in underdeveloped economies, economic integration, and portfolio management. He has served as coordinator and investigator in research projects financed by national and international institutions and was the winner of the 2015 Jan Uphagen’s Award for the Best Young Scientists; in 2017 he was awarded the START scholarship of the Foundation for Polish Science.

Ewa Lechman is an Associate Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Management and Economics, Gdansk University of Technology. Her extensive research interests concentrate on economic development, ICT, and its role in reshaping social and economic systems and various aspects of poverty and economics in developing countries. She coordinates and participates in international research and educational projects and also works as an independent expert assisting with innovation assignments, including the evaluation of small and medium enterprise proposals, EU-financed programmes, and policy design regarding innovativeness, digitalization, education and social exclusion. She was the 2013 winner of an Emerald Literati Network Award for Excellence and is a member of the editorial boards of international journals on technology diffusion, the digital economy and economic development.

Yasuyuki Kato is a professor of the Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University. He has been specialized in investment research since he joined Nomura. He has held positions as the global head of quantitative research and a board member of Nomura until he left for Kyoto University. Now he also holds positions of a member of the governing board of the Government Pension Investment Fund(GPIF), an editor of the Securities Analysts Journal of Japan, an advisor for the Money Design, and etc. He has written various papers and books including “The Asset Management in the Aging Society”, “ESG Investment Studies” and etc.