ETF Securities is planning to launch gold exchange-traded funds in Singapore and Hong Kong to take advantage of strong investor appetite for the precious metal in the two Asian financial hubs, a senior executive told Dow Jones Newswires.

Gold ETFs are well-established in the UK and US, but Asia is still a nascent market for such products, at a time when gold demand in the region is increasing because of rising wealth and demand for hedges against inflation due to loose monetary policy in many major economies.