Japnese Investors keen on Philippines market

Japanese firm Seven Seas Properties Corp. is set to bring in a wave of investments to the Philippine real estate and equities markets to take advantage of the continuing growth in Asia’s rising economy.

The Japanese financial services company said it expects to draw as many as 50,000 individual clients who will invest in Philippine stocks and condominium projects. Equities investors will be referred to local partner Regina Online for equities investments, Seven Seas sales and marketing manager Sawaki Masahiro said. Japanese investors are currently looking for opportunities outside their own country, where growth has tapered off in recent years. “We are optimistic on the overall economic prospects and the growing financial market in the Philippines,” Seven Seas chief marketing officer Yusuke Uejima said.

Regina Online is a joint venture between stock brokerage firm Regina Capital Development Corp. and its marketing partner MFT Group of Companies, said Luis Limlingan, sales chief at Regina Capital. “The 50,000 clients may not all invest in just stocks, some may invest in stocks and real estate, some may invest in condominum properties. And the 50,000 clients would not come in one wave; we’ll be happy if Seven Seas can start by bringing in 1,000 to 2,000 within the year,” Regina Online investing sales head Fernando Martinez said.

Seven Seas is an introducing broker (which has a direct relationship with clients and refers them to partners for investment opportunities) and the agreement with the Japanese firm is significant because it is a first for the Philippines, particularly in the equities market, Tan said.

Mendoza said that only institutional investors have been able to invest in companies listed in the Philippine stock market and retail investors have not had the same opportunities. Mendoza also said that for retail, it is normally Filipino individual investors who invest in stocks abroad rather than the other way around. The partnership of Regina Online and Seven Seas paves the way for similar agreements with companies that can bring in retail investors from Taiwan, South Korea, and other countries, Mendoza said.