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A sovereign wealth fund (SWF), or sovereign investment fund is a state-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals, or in alternative investments such as private equity funds or hedge funds. Sovereign wealth funds invest globally. Most SWFs are funded by revenues from commodity exports or from foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank.
Some sovereign wealth funds may be held by a central bank, which accumulates the funds in the course of its management of a nation's banking system; this type of fund is usually of major economic and fiscal importance. Other sovereign wealth funds are simply the state savings that are invested by various entities for investment return, and that may not have a significant role in fiscal management.
The accumulated funds may have their origin in, or may represent, foreign currency deposits, gold, special drawing rights (SDRs) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) reserve positions held by central banks and monetary authorities, along with other national assets such as pension investments, oil funds, or other industrial and financial holdings. These are assets of the sovereign nations that are typically held in domestic and different reserve currencies (such as the dollar, euro, pound, and yen). Such investment management entities may be set up as official investment companies, state pension funds, or sovereign funds, among others.
There have been attempts to distinguish funds held by sovereign entities from foreign-exchange reserves held by central banks. Sovereign wealth funds can be characterized as maximizing long-term return, with foreign exchange reserves serving short-term "currency stabilization", and liquidity management. Many central banks in recent years possess reserves massively in excess of needs for liquidity or foreign exchange management. Moreover, it is widely believed most have diversified hugely into assets other than short-term, highly liquid monetary ones, though almost no data is publicly available to back up this assertion.
The term "sovereign wealth fund" was first used in 2005 by Andrew Rozanov in an article entitled, "Who holds the wealth of nations?" in the Central Banking Journal. [1] The previous edition of the journal described the shift from traditional reserve management to sovereign wealth management; subsequently the term gained widespread use as the spending power of global officialdom has rocketed upward.[ citation needed ]
China's sovereign wealth funds entered global markets in 2007. [2] : 4 Since then, their scale and scope have expanded significantly. [2] : 4
SWFs were the first institutions to use sovereign capital in an effort to contain the financial damage in the early stages of the 2007-2008 global financial crisis. [2] : 1–2 SWFs are able to react quickly in such circumstances because unlike regulators, SWFs actively participate in the market. [2] : 2
SWFs grew rapidly between 2008 and 2021, with global assets under management by these funds increasing from approximately $4 trillion to more than $10 trillion. [2] : 3
SWFs invest in a variety of asset classes such as stocks, bonds, real estate, private equity and hedge funds. Many sovereign funds are directly investing in institutional real estate. According to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute's transaction database around US$9.26 billion in direct sovereign wealth fund transactions were recorded in institutional real estate for the last half of 2012. [3] In the first half of 2014, global sovereign wealth fund direct deals amounted to $50.02 billion according to the SWFI. [4]
Sovereign wealth funds have existed for more than a century, but since 2000, the number of sovereign wealth funds has increased dramatically. The first SWFs were non-federal U.S. state funds established in the mid-19th century to fund specific public services. [5] The U.S. state of Texas was thus the first to establish such a scheme, to fund public education. The Permanent School Fund (PSF) was created in 1854 to benefit primary and secondary schools, with the Permanent University Fund (PUF) following in 1876 to benefit universities. The PUF was endowed with public lands, the ownership of which the state retained by terms of the 1845 annexation treaty between the Republic of Texas and the United States. While the PSF was first funded by an appropriation from the state legislature, it also received public lands at the same time that the PUF was created. The first SWF established for a sovereign state is the Kuwait Investment Authority, a commodity SWF created in 1953 from oil revenues before Kuwait gained independence from the United Kingdom. As of July 2023, Kuwait's Sovereign Wealth Fund, or locally known as Ajyal Fund, is now worth $853 billion. [6]
Another early registered SWFs is the Revenue Equalization Reserve Fund of Kiribati. Created in 1956, when the British administration of the Gilbert Islands in Micronesia put a levy on the export of phosphates used in fertilizer, the fund has since then grown to $520 million. [7]
SWFs are typically created when governments have budgetary surpluses and have little or no international debt.[ dubious – discuss ] It is not always possible or desirable to hold this excess liquidity as money or to channel it into immediate consumption. This is especially the case when a nation depends on raw material exports like oil, copper or diamonds. In such countries, the main reason for creating a SWF is because of the properties of resource revenue: high volatility of resource prices, unpredictability of extraction, and exhaustibility of resources.
SWFs are primarily commodity-based and many have been established by oil-rich states. [2] : 5 SWFs of China are a notable exception to this more typical model. [2] : 5
Stabilization SWFs are created to reduce the volatility of government revenues, to counter the boom-bust cycles' adverse effect on government spending and the national economy.
Savings SWFs build up savings for future generations. One such fund is the Government Pension Fund of Norway. It is believed that SWFs in resource-rich countries can help avoid resource curse, but the literature on this question is controversial. Governments may be able to spend the money immediately, but risk causing the economy to overheat, e.g., in Hugo Chávez's Venezuela or Shah-era Iran. In such circumstances, saving money to spend during a period of low inflation is often desirable.
Other reasons for creating SWFs may be economic, or strategic, such as war chests for uncertain times. For example, the Kuwait Investment Authority during the Gulf War managed excess reserves above the level needed for currency reserves (although many central banks do that now). The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, Temasek Holdings, or Mubadala are partially the expression of a desire to bolster their countries' standing as an international financial centre. The Korea Investment Corporation has since been similarly managed. Sovereign wealth funds invest in all types of companies and assets, including startups like Xiaomi and renewable energy companies like Bloom Energy. [8]
According to a 2014 study, SWFs are not created for reasons related to reserve accumulation and commodity-export specialization. Rather, the diffusion of SWF can best be understood as a fad whereby certain governments consider it fashionable to create SWFs and are influenced by what their peers are doing. [9]
As market participants, SWFs influence other institutional investors, who may see investments made alongside SWFs as inherently safer. [2] : 9 This effect can be seen with increasing frequency, especially with regard to investments made by the Government Pension Fund of Norway, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and Temasek Holdings, and China Investment Corporation. [2] : 9 SLFs help facilitate a state's ability to use its selective equity investments to promote its industrial policies and strategic interests. [2] : 9
The growth of sovereign wealth funds is attracting close attention because:
The governments of SWFs commit to follow certain rules:
A number of transparency indices sprang up before the Santiago Principles, some more stringent than others.[ citation needed ] To address these concerns, some of the world's main SWFs came together in a summit in Santiago, Chile, on 2–3 September 2008. Under the leadership of the IMF, they formed a temporary International Working Group of Sovereign Wealth Funds. This working group then drafted the 24 Santiago Principles, to set out a common global set of international standards regarding transparency, independence, and accountability in the way that SWFs operate. [15] [16] These were published after being presented to the IMF International Monetary Financial Committee on 11 October 2008. [16] They also considered a standing committee to represent them, and so a new organisation, the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds was set up to maintain the new standards going forward and represent them in international policy debates. [17]
As of 2016, 30 funds [18] have formally signed up to the Principles, representing collectively 80% of the assets managed by sovereign funds globally or US$5.5 trillion. [19]
Assets under management of SWFs amounted to $7.94 trillion as of 24 December 2020. [20]
Countries with SWFs funded by oil and gas exports, totaled $5.4 trillion as of 2020. [21] Non-commodity SWFs are typically funded by transfer of assets from official foreign exchange reserves, and in some cases from government budget surpluses and privatization revenues. Middle Eastern and Asian countries account for 77% of all SWFs.
Numerous SWFs have gone bust throughout history. The most notable ones have been Algeria's FRR, Brazil's FSB, Ecuador's numerous SWF arrangements, Papua New Guinea's MRSF, and Venezuela's FIEM and FONDEN. The main reason why these funds have been exhausted is due to political instability, while economic determinants generally play a less important role. [22]
SWFs in unstable countries may provoke risks for recipient states of SWF investments, given that the instability in SWF-sponsor countries makes those investments uncertain and likely to be disinvested to weather political risk in the short-term.[ citation needed ]
Highly stable countries, such as Denmark, Qatar, China, or Australia are less likely to experience SWF depletion precisely because of their political stability.[ citation needed ]
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Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited is a Singaporean state-owned multinational investment firm. Incorporated on 25 June 1974, Temasek has a net portfolio of US$288 billion as of 2024, with S$33 billion divested and S$26 billion invested during the year. Headquartered at Orchard Road, Singapore, it has 13 offices in 9 countries around the world, including in Beijing, Brussels, Hanoi, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, New York City, Paris, San Francisco, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Washington D.C.
The Government Pension Fund of Norway is the sovereign wealth fund collective owned by the government of Norway. It consists of two entirely separate sovereign wealth funds: the Government Pension Fund Global and the Government Pension Fund Norway.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is a sovereign wealth fund owned by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, founded to invest funds on behalf of the Government of Abu Dhabi. It manages the emirate's excess oil reserves and is estimated to manage $993 billion. ADIA is one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world.
Pacific Investment Management Company LLC is an American investment management firm focusing on active fixed income management worldwide. PIMCO manages investments in many asset classes such as fixed income, equities and other financial assets across public and private markets. PIMCO is one of the largest investment managers, actively managing more than $2 trillion in assets for central banks, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, corporations, foundations and endowments, and individual investors around the world. According to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, PIMCO is the 6th-largest asset manager in the world by managed AUM.
GIC Private Limited is a Singaporean sovereign wealth fund that manages the country's foreign reserves. Established by the Government of Singapore in 1981 as the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, from which the acronym "GIC" is derived, its mission is to preserve and enhance the international purchasing power of the reserves, with the aim to achieve good long-term returns above global inflation over the investment time horizon of 20 years.
The Saudi Central Bank, previously known as the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, established in 1952, is the central bank of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Despite the name change in 2020, the Saudi Central Bank has continued to use the same acronym (SAMA).
The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) is the State owned sovereign wealth fund of the State of Kuwait, managing the state's reserve and the state's future generation fund, also known as "Ajyal Fund".
China Investment Corporation (CIC) is a sovereign wealth fund that manages part of China's foreign exchange reserves. China's largest sovereign fund, CIC was established in 2007 with about US$200 billion of assets under management, a number that grew to US$1,200 billion in 2021 and US$1,350 billion in 2023.
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, operating as CPP Investments, is a Canadian Crown corporation established by way of the 1997 Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act to oversee and invest the funds contributed to and held by the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).
Global assets under management consists of assets held by asset management firms, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds, and private equity funds.
The National Council for Social Security Fund (SSF) is a public institution under the Ministry of Finance of China. It is responsible for the investment and operation of the National Social Security Fund.
The National Development Fund of Iran is Iran's sovereign wealth fund. It was founded in 2011 to supplement the Oil Stabilization Fund. NDFI is independent of the government's budget. Based on Article 84 of the Fifth Five-year Socio-Economic Development Plan (2010–2015), the National Development Fund was established to transform oil and gas revenues to productive investment for future generation. It is a member of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds and therefore is signed up to the Santiago Principles on best practice in managing sovereign wealth funds. Withdrawing any money from this fund requires Khamenei's permission.
The Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute is an American corporation analyzing public asset owners such as sovereign wealth funds and other long-term governmental investors. Initially, the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute focused solely on sovereign wealth funds. It has branched out to cover all types of public institutional investors. The institute sells its subscription and API/datafeed services as a financial data vendor but provides information to the media as well.
The Oman Investment Fund is a sovereign wealth fund, established in 2006 in accordance with a royal decree of His Majesty the Sultan of Oman. The fund makes medium to long-term investments, globally and domestically, to diversify the government of Oman's asset base and create a pool of sustainable cash flow. Currently, the fund's assets under management are estimated at approximately US$18 billion.
The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority is a Nigerian establishment which manages the Nigeria sovereign wealth fund, into which the surplus income produced from Nigeria's excess oil reserves is deposited. This sovereign wealth fund was founded for the purpose of managing and investing these funds on behalf of the government of Nigeria. The fund was established by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority Act 2011, signed in May 2011, and commenced operations in October 2012. It is intended to invest the savings gained on the difference between the budgeted and actual market prices for oil to earn returns that would benefit future generations of Nigerians. The fund was allocated an initial US$1 billion in seed capital, and, an additional $0.60billion has been contributed to date by the current administration. In October 2023, the fund has US$2.3 billion in assets under management.
The Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) is a government-owned corporation that reports to the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Brunei. Established in 1983, its offices are located in Bandar Seri Begawan at the Ministry of Finance HQ. Data on the agency's assets are not reported to the public and the Sultan and his assets, to a certain degree, are also incorporated in the agency; however the extent is unknown. In October 2023, the fund has a total of US$73 billion in assets under management.
The Fundo Soberano de Angola is the sovereign wealth fund of Angola. It is a member of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds, and therefore has signed up to the Santiago Principles on best practice in managing sovereign wealth funds. The FSDEA is meant to play an important role in promoting Angola’s social and economic development and generating wealth for its people. The fund was rated by the SWFI in February 2015 with a ranking of 8 out of 10.
Michael Maduell is an American business executive, financial researcher and commentator on sovereign wealth funds, he is the president of the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute (SWFI).
National Investment Corporation of the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NIC) is a Kazakhstan government owned investment corporation that was established in October 2012 to preserve and enhance the long-term purchasing power of Kazakhstan’s foreign exchange reserves. The National Fund investments in less liquid high yielding asset classes.
the net financial assets of the Fund are valued at [CAD]$18,715 million as of March 31, 2022
Date: 2022-03-31 | CAD → USD: 0.8003