New Frontiers in Sovereign Wealth Fund Capitalization

Abstract

In the debate over the creation of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), the discussion is often focused on either oil-based (e.g. Norway, Qatar, Kuwait, etc.) or non-commodity-based SWFs (e.g. South Korea, China, Singapore, etc.). Yet we are seeing a new development in the sovereign wealth fund arena; more and more countries are seeding sovereign wealth funds by leveraging non-traditional financial sources and are increasingly motivated by domestic developmental (including infrastructural development) imperatives. Interestingly, this process is taking place in a global context of rising nationalist sentiments and backlash against trade and migration. This paper outlines recent developments in SWF creation---especially by countries that are neither endowed with oil wealth nor possess sizable export surpluses to create SWFs with a development mandate. While contextualizing this study in the broader SWF literature, the aim is to provide a comprehensive overview on how different funding sources could be leveraged to meet long-term financial and socio-development objectives. Thus, the overall objective is to map out existing work on non-traditional sources of SWF growth and draw attention to hitherto unnoticed sources of funding: remittances.