Barron’s Asia to debut in October with five advertisers

Published by Dow Jones & Company, Barron’s Asia will deliver Barron’s "signature sophisticated advice" about international investments to high-net-worth Asian readers.

There is no lack of competing financial media in Asia including Australian FInancial Review, CNBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times, The Economist, but Kopin Tan, editor of Barron’s Asia said the publication is "unique in that we offer pointed investment advice about whether something is overvalued or undervalued for market action, not just broad financial stories".

The launch of an Asia edition marks the publication's first overseas expansion since its founding in 1921. Barron’s Asia will publish a mix of Asia-focused content produced by a new Hong Kong-based editorial team along with content from the U.S.

English-only coverage will include a daily Asian investing column, stocks blog, company and mutual fund profiles, wealth-management stories and contributions from financial professionals.

Tracy Young will serve as publisher. Previously, she served as the global director of digital advertising in New York, where she helped expand Barron's into mobile, tablet and video platforms. Launch advertisers for the Asia edition include: Charles Schwab, Chicago Board Options Exchange, Interactive Brokers, JP Morgan, and Nikko Asset Management. Only traditional ad packages will be sold, with no plans for native advertising options. Each advertiser will get share of voice everytime the digital edition is refreshed by the reader, she said.

Advertising benefits will not interfere with editorial integrity, assured Tan. "We are still very much about church and state separation. The editorial team will run whatever articles they see fit. We will write what we believe in, even at the risk of advertisers pulling out," Tan said.

"If we lose one advertiser, it opens the way to us getting another advertiser in. Our publication's brand is built on integrity and reliability, and even the advertising team supports the editorial stance," added Young.

Barron’s Asia will be free for users in Asia-Pacific from 15 October to 15 January 2015 and will be available on iOS and Android devices. Following the free trial period, the rates will be US$26 for 26 weeks. Current Barron’s digital subscribers will have access to all Barron’s Asia content.