Aberdeen CEO sees room for small acquisitions

DAVOS, Switzerland Jan 21 (Reuters) - Aberdeen Asset Management is not looking for any major acquisitions following its purchase of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP), but is interested in small deals, the fund manager's chief executive said on Wednesday.

"We've got cash. We could spend if we wanted to. We could spend $100 million without affecting our regulatory capital," Martin Gilbert told Reuters on the fringes of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

However, Aberdeen is not in talks about any acquisitions at present. "There's nothing actively on the go at the moment," Gilbert said.

Gilbert said Aberdeen was better balanced since its acquisition of SWIP in 2013, but there was room to grow its existing business in fixed income, property and solutions.

"Equity products are full. Emerging markets are out of fashion," he said.

"I don't see any reason why we can't grow organically," he said, adding this could be achieved through having the right processes and distribution team. (Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Mark Potter)