A leading index provider today announced plans to track the fast-growing Asian hedge fund space.

MSCI Barra will launch its MSCI Asia-Pacific Hedge Fund OPTIX Index, designed to capture the overall structure and composition of the hedge fund universe in the region. The new index will include investable funds featuring at least monthly liquidity.

MSCI plans to begin building the index next month, with the help of SPARX International and Natixis Investments, which has licensed the index. It will have about 20 constituent funds at launch.

“The forthcoming launch of the MSCI Asia-Pacific Hedge Fund OPTIX Index responds to investor demand for a liquid and representative investable hedge fund index that reflects the overall Asia-Pacific hedge fund opportunity set,” Harry Fernandez, CEO of MSCI Barra, said. “The index is designed to serve as the basis of index-linked financial products, such as funds, derivatives, and structured products.”