ASK Investment Managers launches its first satellite PMS; key things to know

The country’s leading portfolio manager, ASK Investment Managers, on March 12 announced the launch of ASK Lighthouse Portfolio. This is ASK’s first satellite portfolio management services (PMS) investment approach. It will predominantly invest in a few themes or sectors at a time, where structural transformation is underway, to capture the high-growth phase of sectors which present deep and large opportunities to investors.

The PMS manager in a release said that themes may be conceived on a top-down or bottom-up basis, while selection of the businesses would be on a bottom-up basis. The benchmark for this product will be BSE 500-TRI. This portfolio is suitable for UHNIs (Ultra High Net Worth Individuals), HNIs (High Net Worth Individuals), Family Offices, Corporate Treasuries, and Private Family Trusts that are looking for diversification solutions for their portfolio.

Sunil Rohokale, MD & CEO, ASK Asset & Wealth Management Group said, “As we continue to lead with differentiated offerings, we are capitalising on the robust growth of the PMS and AIF market. The PMS industry has nearly doubled in the past 5 years, rising from around Rs 2.5 lakh crore to around Rs 4.9 lakh crore. These trends align with India's projected growth as an approximately $8 trillion economy in the next 8-9 years, and an expected four-fold increase in upper-income households to reach approximately 2.5 crore households from current 60 lakh households.”

Nimesh Mehta, Director & Head – Sales & Products, Business Development & Products, ASK Investment Managers said, “There is huge potential for equity investing with PMS having a significant allocation. The ASK Lighthouse portfolio is our foray into satellite PMS scheme investment approach. Our key investment objective of capital preservation and capital appreciation will remain unchanged.”

Sandip Bansal, Associate Director & Senior Portfolio Manager, ASK Investment Managers, said, “This portfolio will invest in themes where the extent of impact of fundamental changes is high, and which are likely to be durable (not transitory) and sizable in nature. It will have focussed exposures in a few sectors to tap the high-growth phase of businesses and will be a market-cap agnostic portfolio.”

“Our current focus areas for this scheme include infrastructure and engineering, energy or energy transition, defence, manufacturing, railways, capital goods, and allied sectors. These sectors offer substantial wealth creation opportunities for investors.” he concluded.

ASK Lighthouse Portfolio will be managed by Sandip Bansal who has over 20 years of experience, out of which over 16 years are in equity markets. Previously he has worked with SBI Life Insurance, UBS Securities, Kotak Institutional Equities, KPMG, and Citibank.