MANULIFE Investment Management and Trust Corp. (Manulife IM) has launched a unit investment trust fund (UITF) that provides access to dollar-denominated fixed-income and fixed-income-related securities globally.

The Manulife Global Income Feeder Fund “aims to provide a high-quality, low-volatility income opportunity by seeking the best sources of income across the entirety of the fixed income universe,” it said in a statement on Thursday.

“The Manulife Global Income Feeder Fund offers an all-weather wealth solution that combines the entirety of the fixed-income universe, including traditional and nontraditional sources of income. It provides high and sustainable opportunities that can help investors maximize their financial portfolio’s income generation across economic and interest rate cycles,” Manulife IM Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Aira Gaspar was quoted as saying.

Investors can access the fund for as low as $1,000 or P1,000.

The new UITF is part of the company’s “Better Income” campaign that aims to give clients more investment options based on their respective financial goals, needs, risk tolerance, and life stages.

Interested investors may open a UITF account online through Manulife’s digital investment platform Manulife iFUNDS.

Manulife IM is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.) Inc. (Manulife Philippines). It got its stand-alone trust corporation license from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in 2017.

The trust firm had assets worth P1.37 billion and liabilities valued at P229.26 million at end-June, based on its balance sheet.

Its total stockholders’ equity stood at P1.14 billion, while its contingent accounts, which were wholly made up of trust accounts, were at P188.75 billion.

Meanwhile, its parent company Manulife Philippines’ premium income stood at P15.54 billion in 2023, while its net income was at P1.899 billion. — A.M.C. Sy