Barclays Capital has become the first provider of exchange-traded notes (ETN) in ex-Japan Asia.

Listed on the Singapore Exchange last week, the ETNs are based on commodities, and will be the first of a series of asset classes rolled out in this format. The iPath Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index Total Return SM ETN is the first-ever ETN listed in Asia outside Japan and provides both institutional and retail investors with exposure to a broad range of commodities during the Asian time zone. The iPath ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities linked to the performance of an underlying index.

Singapore based Peter Hu, head of investor solutions for Asia ex-Japan at Barclays Capital, said: "We are delighted to be able to provide investors with a new way to invest across different asset classes during Asian trading hours. The iPath Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index Total ReturnSM ETN enables investors to gain exposure to a broad range of underlying commodities with ease via a single, liquid and transparent instrument. We see self-directed investors becoming an increasingly important client segment in Asia and we plan to cater for their varied investment needs by launching many more iPath ETNs in the future."

Philippe El-Asmar, head of investor solutions at Barclays Capital, added: "We are very excited to bring the iPath ETN platform to investors in Asia. [They] have been tremendously successful in the US attracting over US$5b in market capitalisation with over US$80bn in volume traded since inception. iPath ETNs provide investors with simple, transparent, cost efficient instruments that provide access to difficult-to-reach markets with the ease of trading through an exchange."

• The week prior, BarCap had to stop issuing new shares in its iPath MSCI India ETN, which is listed in New York, after the Indian regulator SEBI banned it from trading offshore derivatives linked to local stocks.