19.11.2025
UBP's strategic income strategy: a smarter way to invest
Tune in to our latest podcast to explore how UBP’s Strategic Income strategy is redefining fixed income investing in today’s evolving market landscape.
Investing in emerging market debt
We unlock the full potential of emerging market debt with flexible strategies, robust fundamental analysis, and rigorous risk management.
Spanning over 140 countries and representing USD 3.4 trillion*, emerging market debt is a vast and diverse investment universe. With more than half of its issuers investment-grade, this maturing market is a dynamic one presenting compelling alpha-generation and diversification opportunities created by profound geopolitical shifts such as deglobalisation and supply chain localisation.
*Bloomberg Finance L.P.
Play our latest podcast episode
Listen to our experts Thomas Christiansen and Lamine Bougueroua as they explore how emerging market debt offers unique opportunities to generate returns while navigating the complexities of today’s evolving global landscape.
Why invest in emerging market debt?
- Access to the fastest‑growing markets in the world
- Attractive yield premium compared with developed markets
- Opportunities in EM debt arising from uneven market dynamics
Looking to invest in emerging market debt?
Contact us to find out more about how we can work together on your goals in the best possible way.
Frequently asked questions about emerging market debt
You may find answers to your emerging market investment questions here. If you don’t, feel free to reach out to us.
EM debt combines attractive yields, improving credit quality, and wide valuation gaps. In a fragmented global landscape, it offers rich opportunities for active managers to generate alpha through selective exposure and disciplined risk management.
The divergent economic trajectories of individual EM countries are a crucial source of potential returns. By conducting rigorous analysis to identify winners and avoid losers, skilled active managers can exploit these dispersions to enhance alpha and optimise portfolio diversification.
Navigating the complexities of EMD requires a keen awareness of the risks involved. These include timing market entries and exits, benchmarking against fragmented indices, managing volatility spikes, factoring in macroeconomic uncertainties, and ensuring adequate liquidity.
UBP stands out with a flexible, high-conviction approach anchored in deep fundamental research and macro insight. Our team of seasoned specialists dynamically allocates across sovereign, corporate, and local debt—focusing on credit quality, liquidity, and idiosyncratic opportunities. Supported by proprietary tools and disciplined risk management, we aim at turning market fragmentation and dispersion into alpha, while preserving capital through active diversification and volatility control.
Meet our emerging market debt team
If you have plans to invest in emerging market debt and wish to discuss opportunities with our experts, get in touch.
Meet the team
- Expertise: corporate credit, local-currency & hard-currency sovereigns, and thematic & dynamic strategies
- Seasoned professionals with a strong track record in responsible emerging market debt investing
- Actively managed high‑conviction strategies
- Broad skill set covering long‑only and ESG strategies across EM debt
Looking to gain specific EM debt exposure?
Our investment process is designed to navigate the complexities of emerging markets, which are influenced in different ways by global financial conditions. Traditional analysis alone doesn’t capture the full range of performance drivers across this diverse landscape.
- Global market analysis – We assess global market trends to understand how they influence each country's macroeconomic outlook, credit quality, risk profile, and liquidity.
- Fundamental analysis – We conduct fundamental country and credit analysis to identify meaningful signals and separate them from short‑term noise.
- Dynamic portfolios – We dynamically adjust the asset allocation and country selection as financial conditions evolve, in an approach focused on strong convictions and best ideas.
- Robust risk management – We apply proprietary analysis and use monitoring tools to navigate shifting market regimes and ensure diversification and liquidity.
- ESG – We fully integrate ESG considerations into our research and portfolio management, identifying investment opportunities with positive sustainability characteristics and exposure to impactful themes.
Core strategies
They provide broad exposure to sovereign and corporate emerging market debt across hard and local currencies, combining high-conviction ideas and income generation with strong risk management.
Thematic & dynamic exposure strategies
They offer flexible allocation and access to niche segments of EM debt, targeting high-carry, post-restructuring, and off-benchmark opportunities through dynamic, unconstrained approaches.
12.11.2025
Diversifying portfolios with emerging-market bonds
Many baby boomers have entered the decumulation phase of their financial lives and for them, the priority has shifted from capital appreciation to income stability. Accordingly, diversification and carry (income from coupons) are paramount. Investors value the stable yields bonds provide, especially when they come with managed volatility, and emerging-market debt (EMD) is an excellent source of diversification.
21.10.2025
From Headlines to Reality: The Strength of Andean nations
Despite headlines of fiscal risks and political unrest, Colombia, Chile, and Peru are defying expectations with their appreciating currencies, credible policies, and strong economic fundamentals.