Zurich International Life, the insurance company, has bolstered its fund of hedge funds business in repsonse to greater investor demand. It has launched two new funds, both to be managed by HSBC Republic Investments, the private banking and hedge fund arm of HSBC.

The Zurich International European absolute fund and the global absolute fund will be actively managed and invested across the spectrum of hedge fund investment strategies. The global fund is denominated in US dollars and the European fund in euros.