Trust Issues: Investing in emerging markets with AWEM's Hiren Dasani

In this episode of Trust Issues, we speak to Hiren Dasani, portfolio manager for Ashoka WhiteOak Emerging Markets Trust (AWEM), to talk about the outlook for emerging markets, after a strong 2025, what AWEM’s portfolio looks like today and how AWEM chooses companies in which to invest. 00:00 Introduction 01:14 Why emerging markets had such good performance in 2025 03:37 How AWEM distinguishes true quality companies from quality traps 06:31 Why AWEM prefers investing in non-state-owned enterprises 10:20 AWEM's overweight to developed market stocks that derive revenue from emerging countries 14:01 How AWEM invests in China and the outlook for Chinese stock markets 17:12 AWEM's advantage when investing in India and the outlook for Indian companies 21:17 How AWEM is finding opportunities in Poland 22:57 The outlook for AWEM's high-quality portfolio 25:37 AWEM's unique fee structure and aligning the interest of shareholders and management 27:32 What does the long-term horizon look like for emerging markets - has performance turned the corner? 32:21 Further information 32:40 Risk warning Our latest note on AWEM - https://www.trustintelligence.co.uk/investor/articles?fund_id=1874 AWEM website - https://www.awemtrust.com/ Please note that this podcast was recorded on 12 January 2026.