Intersec 250: Complete Rankings
Intersec 250: Definitions and methodology
Borders are no barriers to the Titans of the asset management industry. Battling for market share, the great corporate machines that are today's financial sector giants acquire, re-brand and absorb, seeking to realize the dream of a truly global market. The dynamics of the current economic and political orthodoxy create a framework in which bigger is not only judged better, but is virtually essential for survival.
Leaving aside the question of who benefits from the process, rankings should be of interest to a much wider audience than managers themselves. A statistical analysis of this year's Top 250 gives graphic insight into the global distribution and internationalization of asset management activities (see charts), and focuses attention on what lies behind the figures. The split into domestic versus foreign management looks at a distribution of power - in terms of control of resources - which is an important factor in the wider process of globalization.
According to InterSec, the Top 250 managers domiciled outside the US managed $13.5 trillion at the end of 1996. Of this, 22% was managed from outside the domicile of parent companies.