Emerging-market funds boutique, MIR Investment Management, has rebranded to become Metisq Capital, taking its inspiration from a word, which in Greek mythology, refers to “wisdom” and “deep thought”.

Metisq, in which Challenger has a stake through Fidante Partners, currently manages around $1 billion with teams of analysts located in Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore.

Its predecessor, MIR, was established in 2003 as an Australian-equities specialist but launched capabilities in the Asian region in 2007.

Since then, the firm has focused on managing high-conviction equities in the Asia Pacific, excluding Japan. It also has a joint venture with Libra Capital to manage its Greater China portfolios, with offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Metisq – which derives from the Greek word “metis” – combines both quantitative and qualitative disciplines to identify market inefficiencies and stock mispricing.

John Beggs, Metisq chief executive, said the firm wanted to use the rebranding as an opportunity to signal its commitment to Asia.