Investment bank Barclays Capital has partnered with international consulting firms and fund managers to design a range of products focused on the current economic challenges faced by investors.
"We have reshaped our business as more solutions based and advice that services both retail and wholesale investors," Barclays capital head of distribution Allen McCristal said.
After a nine-month design process, Barclays Capital launched the AUD Inspire Index, which provides investors with liquid inflation exposure in illiquid inflation markets.
In the past few years, Barclays has worked on the concept of correlating offshore inflation swaps to match Australian inflation with Watson Wyatt, State Street Global Advisors and other fund managers that provided input to the development of the index.
"One of our main objectives was to develop an investable index product that enables investors to achieve flexible, cost-efficient and scalable exposure in a market that is often difficult to access," McCristal said.
Barclays Capital is currently approaching superannuation funds and fund managers to gauge interest in the product.
McCristal said the international investment bank planned to release a number of investment and hedging products each month, depending on market demand.
There are plans to launch a diversified income fund next month.
This launch comes on the back of a wave of client-facing appointments in the past 18 months that covered all asset classes.
The most recent hire was former Assirt head Caroline Saunders to develop Barclays Capital's investor solutions business in Australia.
