Kasikorn Asset Management (K-Asset) and JP Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM) are expanding their strategic partnership with a focus on lifetime investment solutions as longer life expectancy and market volatility reshape Thai investors' financial planning.
The collaboration reflects growing demand for investment strategies that support wealth creation throughout an investor's lifetime, from wealth accumulation and retirement planning to post-retirement income management.
The strategy comes as Thailand's ageing population, longer life expectancy and increasingly volatile global markets encourage investors to prioritise resilient portfolios over short-term returns, according to Win Phromphaet, chief executive of K-Asset.
This strategy has enabled investors to continue investing through periods of market uncertainty, reinforcing confidence in globally diversified portfolios as a foundation for long-term wealth creation, he said.
Anis Tiasiri, head of Southeast Asia and India intermediaries at JPMAM, said the partnership combines JPMAM's global investment expertise with K-Asset's deep understanding of Thai investors to develop investment solutions tailored to long-term financial objectives.
The next stage of the partnership will strengthen investment capabilities while expanding lifetime investment solutions that adapt to investors' evolving financial needs at different stages of life, he noted.
The initiative mirrors a broader global trend among asset managers as the longevity theme reshapes retirement planning. Rather than encouraging investors to switch between products in search of higher returns, firms are increasingly promoting goals-based investing, where globally diversified multi-asset portfolios serve as long-term core holdings capable of weathering changing market conditions.
K-Asset already introduced the approach to its provident fund business through the K-WealthPLUS series and Life Path investment plans.
The company said adoption has increased as employers emphasise helping employees prepare for retirement.
Among K-Asset's 5,645 corporate provident fund clients, representing nearly 600,000 members and 288 billion baht in assets, 594 companies have adopted retirement investment programmes. The plans cover more than 13,000 members, with assets exceeding 5.3 billion baht, reflecting growing acceptance of multi-asset investing and structured retirement planning.
Mr Win said K-Asset will continue working with JPMAM to enhance lifetime investment solutions by combining global investment expertise with local market insights, enabling Thai investors to build sustainable financial security over the long term.
He also called on policymakers to design the proposed Thailand Individual Savings Account (TISA) as a tax-advantaged investment scheme with a contribution limit separate from the existing retirement mutual fund (RMF) tax allowance.
According to Mr Win, including TISA within the current RMF tax deduction ceiling of 500,000 baht a year would generate limited new investment, reducing its effectiveness in stimulating Thailand's capital market and curbing capital outflows.
A separate investment limit would encourage fresh savings rather than simply reallocating existing retirement investments, he noted.
K-Asset also proposed more than 80% of TISA assets be invested in domestic securities to ensure that tax incentives support Thailand's economy and capital market.
"If structured appropriately, TISA could attract new long-term investment flows comparable to those generated by the former long-term equity fund programme, which historically channelled around 50-100 billion baht into the Thai stock market and played an important role in promoting long-term savings and market liquidity," said Mr Win.
