Asset manager Barings says it has about $22 billion of funds under management from Australian investors including insurer clients after launching here in 2008.

It has about $US481 billion ($690 billion) of assets under management globally, with 28% from Australia and the Asia-Pacific region - second only to the Americas at 47%.

Head of international insurance solutions Patrick O’Sullivan says the business is “growing very well in Australia. We’re continuing to grow ... across all client segments and continuing to add capabilities both here in Australia [and] across the globe.”

London-based Mr O’Sullivan was in Australia last week for the annual Barings Insurance CIO roundtable, where he met with senior members of major insurers.

Key market trends and Barings’ offerings were discussed at the half-day event.

Asked about the Middle East conflict’s impact on investors’ risk appetite, Mr O’Sullivan said: “I don’t think one event can really change … an entire investment strategy.

“I think people should always be evaluating their portfolios and looking for opportunities, and a number of us were discussing … volatility in markets gives opportunities for people to buy assets when they’re potentially at a lower price than they would have been otherwise.

“So there are definitely opportunities out there to be taken advantage of.

“It’s just about finding the right opportunity that’s going to work within the insurers’ wider portfolio, and for a lot of insurers that may be holding very traditional core and public-only strategies, we do advise and suggest they take a look at enhancing their portfolios in a number of ways.”