Mercer strengthens its financial services

Global consulting firm Mercer Consulting Ltd. said Wednesday it has strengthened its financial services in South Korea in a bid to help investors there access more opportunities globally. Founded in the United States in 1937, Mercer is a human resource and related financial services consulting firm. It operates internationally in more than 40 countries, employing more than 19,000 people. The New York-based firm said it recently established an investment management business in South Korea, which covers investment research and advice, actuarial valuations and financial modeling. "We want to help Korean institutional investors access a range of assets globally to build more diverse and therefore more robust investment portfolios so that they are better able to deal with market volatility and achieve their investment objectives," said Lee Kwang, Mercer's Korea head of Investment Management business. The company said it seeks to advise institutional investors, fund managers, multinational pension plans and Employee Retirement Security Act vendors in South Korea. Mercer manages more than US$44 billion worldwide, while advising on more than $4 trillion globally.