Thomas Hugger: Only Frontier Markets Offer Uncorrelated Returns From A Troubled Global Economy

In this episode of China Money Network, guest Thomas Hugger, CFO of Leopard Capital, a private equity firm focused on investing in Asian frontier markets, discusses the successes and failures of his firm's investments in Cambodia, the impact on frontier markets from a slowing Chinese economy, and why frontier markets offer better risk-return profiles than emerging markets. Q: First give us a brief introduction of Leopard Capital? A: Leopard Capital was founded in 2008. Our general goal is to make private equity investments in frontier markets. We've raised two funds so far. In March 2008, we raised our first private equity fund to invest in Cambodia. Another fund was raised to invest in Haiti. We are hoping to launch two additional funds to invest in Bangladesh and Bhutan this year. We've met hundreds of potential institutional investors or high-net-worth individuals. They are extremely interested in Asian frontier markets, but they are concerned to invest their money for ten years in a private equity fund in a single country like Cambodia. They want more diversification and more liquidity. So earlier this year, we launched a fund to invest in listed equities in Asian frontier markets, including Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, and Myanmar. This is our Leopard Asia Frontier Fund, which I manage at the moment......... Thomas Hugger is CFO of Leopard Capital, a private equity firm focused on investing in frontier markets, particularly Asian frontier markets including Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Vietnam, and others. Hugger spent 27 years in private banking, most recently as managing director at LGT Bank in Hong Kong. Earlier, he worked at LGT Bank in Zurich and Bank Julius Baer in Zurich and Hong Kong.