K-Lifestyle comprises four mixed funds investing in equities, fixed-income instruments, property and foreign investments. The weighting of each investment package will depend on the risk investors can take. Each fund is Bt5 billion in size.

KAsset executive vice chairman Wiwan Tharahirunchote said the firm expected the four K-Lifestyle funds to contribute at least Bt4 billion, in terms of asset size, in the first year.

She said that until now, most of the firm's customers had been high-end investors. In a bid to attract committed long-term customers, KAsset aims to penetrate a new market: working people who have never before invested in mutual funds.

"The funds are tailored for four groups of investors, and their age is not the key. We will treat them in much the same way as we treat our private fund customers. We will tailor their investments according to the risk they can afford," Wiwan said.

"We know that our strength is in mixed funds, so we're going to use that strength to retain the number one spot over the long term."

KAsset dropped to second place early this year behind SCB Asset Management.

KAsset grew from Bt173.78 billion in assets under management at the end of last year to Bt183.44 billion at the end of April.

The launch of K-Lifestyle also completes KAsset's product variety. As well as equity, fixed and mixed funds, it launched a foreign investment fund last year. Last month, it launched its first property fund, and then a derivatives-linked fund early this month.

The firm is also planning to launch two long-term equity funds in June and another foreign investment fund in July.

It has also regrouped its dozens of funds into five categories, for the sake of easy understanding and recognition.

Piyarat Setthasiriphaiboon

The Nation