Axa Framlington is launching a Digital Economy fund.
The new fund will be managed by Jeremy Gleeson, who also runs the Axa Framlington Global Technology fund.
The digital economy fund will invest in “companies involved in the discovery, decision making, delivery and execution of the online commerce process.”
Mr Gleeson said the fund will be divided between companies which invest into four categories.
The first category is “discovery of the product”, which means social media and online marketing businesses.
The second category is “decision making companies,” such as web portals and mobile app companies.
The third category is “delivery of the product”, and includes online payment companies.
The final category is “digital enablers”, which invest in companies that help other businesses to develop a digital strategy.
Mr Gleeson said: “Digital economy is still a relatively new theme, but it is growing rapidly with new business segments already emerging such as the sharing economy.
"We have a long history of investing in technology driven themes and firmly believe that investing through an actively managed portfolio is the best way to identify the future winners of the digital migration we are witnessing.”
Jason Hollands, managing director for business development at Tilney Group, said: “The growth of ecommerce is undeniable and the extent to which businesses successfully harness that in delivering sales growth is a factor that will be reflected in how investors view a business.
"Whether you need a fund specifically focused on this theme in a portfolio is a moot point and might be considered a bit faddish.”
david.thorpe@ft.com
