FTSE Group, the global index provider, has expanded its range of offerings for international investors in the Asian markets by announcing a collaboration with HSI International, the company that calculates the Hang Seng indexes.

The companies will jointly launch a comprehensive series of Asian indexes for use as the basis for tradable derivative products, including exchange traded funds.

The FTSE/Hang Seng Indexes, which will go live on Thursday, February 28, will measure market activity in China (Shanghai & Shenzhen), Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

The new series includes the FTSE/Hang Seng Asiatop index, which is comprised of the 30 largest companies in eligible Asian markets, as well as 11 FTSE/Hang Seng Asian Sector Indexes. These sector indexes cover resources, basic industries, general industrials, cyclical, non-cyclical, telecoms, utilities, financials, banks, real estate and technology.

Mark Makepeace, FTSE Group’s chief executive said, “FTSE and HSI have collaborated to create the most innovative index products covering the Asian markets. We aim to make the FTSE/Hang Seng indexes the most tradable in Asia.”

Vincent Kwan, Director of HSI International Ltd said, “We are pleased to co-operate with FTSE, a leading global index provider, to launch the FTSE/Hang Seng Index series. The indexes will help meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of investors in the Asian region for index-related derivative products.”