Singapore’s rise as a global centre for managing money has taken a big step with assets under management in the city state rising by nearly a quarter last year, putting it closer to matching Switzerland as a wealth management hub.

去年新加坡管理的资产增加近四分之一，使得这个城市国家在成为全球财富管理中心的道路上迈出一大步，逼近瑞士。

Funds managed in the city state rose 22 per cent to S$1.63tn ($1.29tn), from S$1.34tn a year previously, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the central bank, revealed yesterday. In comparison, there were SF2.8tn ($2.9tn) of assets under management in Switzerland last year, according to the Swiss Bankers Association.

新加坡央行——新加坡金融管理局(Monetary Authority of Singapore)昨天发布数据显示，这个城市国家管理的资金从前年的1.34万亿新元增加到去年的1.63万亿新元（合1.29万亿美元），增幅为22%。作为比较，瑞士银行家协会(Swiss Bankers Association)统计显示，去年瑞士管理资产总额为2.8万亿瑞士法郎(合2.9万亿美元)。

Asia was the biggest destination for investments from funds handled out of Singapore, accounting for 70 per cent of all assets under management, up from 60 per cent the previous year. Hong Kong and Singapore are closing the gap with Switzerland and London as they benefit from the growing wealth of a new generation of Asian businesspeople. Switzerland’s private banking industry is suffering from a damaging row with the US over some Swiss banks’ alleged complicity in tax evasion by US citizens.

亚洲是新加坡管理资金的最大投资目的地，占其管理的资产比例从前年的60%增加到去年的70%。新一代亚洲商业人士不断增长的财富，使得香港和新加坡与瑞士和伦敦的差距逐渐缩校由于一些瑞士银行被指协助美国公民避税，瑞士私人银行业在美国遭受了一系列损失。

“The recent regulatory lapses in Switzerland are a factor behind this growth but they have merely served to accelerate a trend that started after the 2008 crisis,” said Amin Rajan, chief executive of Create Research, a consultancy. “Asian investors have come to prefer Asian products, manufactured in Asia.” Martin Gilbert, chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management, said: “The global balance in economic power is gradually moving from west to east and so it makes sense for fund and wealth managers to be based on the ground in Asia running money.”

咨询公司Create Research首席执行官艾敏·拉詹(Amin Rajan)说：“最近瑞士的监管失误也是这一增长背后的一个因素，但这只是加快了2008年危机之后开始形成的一个趋势。” 安本资产管理公司(Aberdeen Asset Management)首席执行官马丁·吉尔伯特(Martin Gilbert)说：“全球经济实力的天平正在逐渐从西方转向东方。因此，基金和财富管理人将操盘基地设置在亚洲是有道理的。”

According to Boston Consulting Group the region, excluding Japan, posted a 13.8 per cent rise in private wealth last year, to $28tn. That compared with a 5.2 per cent rise to $35.8tn in western Europe and a 7.8 per cent rise to $43.3tn in North America. But Singapore is also a crowded market, with costs high and returns lower than in Switzerland, bankers say.

波士顿咨询集团(Boston Consulting Group)统计显示，除了日本之外，亚洲地区去年私人财富增加到28万亿美元，增幅为13.8%。而西欧则增加到35.8亿美元，增幅为5.2%，北美增加到43.3万亿美元，增幅为7.8%。但银行家们表示，新加坡也是一个拥挤的市场，成本高，回报却低于瑞士。

Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, has played down the notion that his country could ultimately overtake Switzerland. “I read somewhere that we might overtake Switzerland. I don’t think that’s true. I don’t want that to be my marketing line,” he said this month.

新加坡总理李显龙(Lee Hsien Loong)淡化了新加坡最终可能超越瑞士的说法。他在本月说：“有的地方说我们可能会超越瑞士。我不认为是这样的。我不希望这成为我们的营销用语。”