Asia-Pacific family offices are increasing allocations to hedge funds and other alternative investments as wealthy investors seek to diversify portfolios following strong gains across public markets, according to a report by the Business Ti9mes citing data from Cambridge Associates.
Eugene Snyman, regional head of Asia-Pacific at the investment consultancy, said some private clients now have between 20% and 25% of their portfolios allocated to hedge funds, while few of the firm’s private clients have less than 10% exposure to the asset class.
The consultancy remains positive on the hedge fund opportunity set, particularly multi-strategy and long-short managers, as heightened market volatility creates opportunities for managers to generate returns beyond traditional long-only equity exposure.
The growing appetite for alternatives is part of a broader expansion in Cambridge Associates’ Asia-Pacific business. The firm’s regional assets under management and advisement have increased by more than 20% over the past five years to approximately $20bn.
Private clients have been the main driver of that growth, with assets from the segment increasing by 60%. Discretionary and outsourced chief investment officer services have grown particularly rapidly, increasing fivefold to approximately $2bn.
Globally, Cambridge Associates had more than $600bn in assets under management and advisement and $108bn in discretionary assets as of the end of 2025.
Singapore and Hong Kong have been particularly important centres for the firm’s Asia-Pacific family-office business, while Australia and New Zealand have delivered consistent growth across private clients, endowments, foundations and superannuation funds.
India and Southeast Asia are also becoming increasingly important markets. Cambridge Associates serves Southeast Asian clients from Singapore, while its India coverage is managed through offices in Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Cambridge Associates plans to increase its presence across key regional centres including Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney and Beijing. The firm currently employs about 80 people in Asia-Pacific and expects to add at least another 20 over the next five years.
