Paris-based asset management firm Amundi has launched a new fund that will invest in markets benefiting from trade routes established under China’s new Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a €1 trillion ($1.1 trillion) infrastructure development strategy targeting more than 65 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
Inspired by China’s ancient Silk Road, the BRI, which was first proposed in 2013, will invest in 1,700 infrastructure projects.
The new fund, Amundi Funds New Silk Road, seeks to achieve “long-term capital growth above the broader emerging market equity space.” This fund follows the launch of New Silk Road cross-asset solutions, which has raised more than €459 million ($510 million) since April.
Rather than focus purely on investments that could benefit from second- or third-order effects from the BRI, Amundi is also looking to benefit from second- or third-order effects of the BRI and similar initiatives aimed at growing trade
