BlackRock tops APAC fund brand ranking for fifth year

Broadridge has released its latest Fund Brand 50 ranking of asset management brands in Asia-Pacific and globally, with BlackRock taking the top spot in APAC for the fifth straight year.

JPMorgan Asset Management held second place in the regional ranking, while PIMCO rose one spot to third. Fidelity slipped to fourth, Allianz GI remained fifth, and Alliance Bernstein stayed sixth.

Rounding out the APAC top 10, Blackstone climbed three places to seventh, Vanguard fell one to eighth, Goldman Sachs rose three to ninth, and Schroders dropped two to tenth.

The rankings are based on interviews with more than 1,300 fund selectors across Europe, APAC and the US. Respondents were asked to name their top three suppliers across 10 brand attributes, including solidity, investment strategy, client focus, local knowledge and sustainability.

The APAC results showed limited movement at the top of the table, with the largest global managers continuing to hold selectors' confidence across the seven markets covered. Brands that reach the top tier typically rank in the top 10 in most of those markets.

BlackRock's position was supported by strong regional results, ranking first in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. JPMorgan Asset Management placed in the top three in all seven markets under review.

Selector priorities

The research found that APAC and US fund selectors both ranked solidity as the most important brand attribute, reflecting demand for large, experienced global managers with long track records and the ability to withstand periods of market volatility.

Selectors also want access to a broad range of investment products, along with regular and detailed updates on portfolio companies. Broadridge said this is especially relevant as selectors increasingly consider more complex products, including alternatives.

That backdrop appears to have helped Blackstone improve its position, as demand for alternative investments in the region lifted its profile among selectors seeking returns less closely tied to traditional asset classes.

Goldman Sachs' entry into the top 10 also reflected stronger overall brand recognition in APAC, according to the report. It said the firm benefited from a combination of attributes rather than strength in any single area.

ETF shift

The broader market trends highlighted in the report point to continuing pressure on active fund managers in the region. Actively managed equity mutual funds in APAC have seen net outflows as fee compression and underperformance against benchmarks push investors toward lower-cost passive exchange-traded funds in markets including China, Japan and Taiwan.

This shift has prompted active managers to rethink their business strategies in APAC. At the same time, large ETF providers such as BlackRock, JPMorgan Asset Management and Vanguard are benefiting from stronger demand, while domestic ETF providers in Australia and China are also rising in the rankings because of their ETF presence.

Foreign investors are also increasingly using ETFs to gain exposure to Chinese equity markets, while brand recognition remains an important factor in attracting inflows to Chinese fund firms.

The study linked the ETF boom to a broader shift by households away from savings and bank deposits and toward financial instruments that may offer higher returns. It also pointed to digital platforms and smartphone apps as widening access for retail investors.

Among younger investors in APAC, appetite for thematic and artificial intelligence funds is also rising, with most inflows into thematic strategies in 2025 concentrated in passive ETFs.

Market conditions

Broadridge framed the rankings against a complex investment backdrop shaped by diverging central bank actions and changing trade policies. The report said that while scale and product breadth remain important, selectors also weigh whether firms are viewed as trusted experts.

Evonne Gan, Broadridge's Principle of APAC Insights, said the biggest firms continued to dominate the ranking despite unsettled markets.

"Amid continuing market volatility in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025, top firms continued to demonstrate resilience and maintain market leadership," Gan said.

She added that the lower half of the top 10 had seen more movement. "The biggest firms with the most wide-ranging resources continue to lead the pack. For a fifth straight year, since Broadridge started its FB50 analysis of APAC, BlackRock was the top brand, followed by JPMorgan Asset Management, while trends such as growing demand for alternatives and stronger brand recognition saw larger jumps in the second half of the top 10. BlackRock is the number one brand name in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, while JPMorgan Asset Management ranked in the top three in all seven markets under Broadridge's coverage," Gan said.