The Late Dr. Mark Mobius

Biography

Dr. Mark Mobius received his Ph.D. at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He started his career in Emerging Markets when he joined Franklin Templeton in 1987. He led the Templeton Emerging Markets Group for over 30 years, and grew the AUM from $100M to over $50B during this time. This was the very first listed emerging markets fund on the New York Stock Exchange and Mark built out much of the infrastructure to invest in these markets which were overlooked at the time. In 2018, he decided to leave Templeton and launched Mobius Capital Partners, an asset management firm based in London. The firm has two investment funds: Mobius Investment Trust in London and Mobius Emerging Markets Fund in Luxembourg.

In 2018, John Ninia, then a research fellow at the center and a Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholar, reached out to Mark as part of his research at EMC2. What began as a simple interview evolved into a meaningful and enduring relationship. In 2021 John began working with Mark and Mark became more involved with Cornell. He graciously offered to sponsor the EMC2 Pitch Competition in 2021 and his support continues until today. In 2023 Mark decided to leave Mobius Capital Partners, taking alumnus John Ninia with him, and together they co-founded and launched Mobius Investments Ltd, a BVI domiciled hedge fund which they jointly built out from scratch which Mark managed until his death in April 2026.

Mark has received numerous awards and is the author of a number of books including The Inflation Myth and The Wonderful World of Deflation, The Little Book of Emerging Markets, Invest for Good, and most recently The Digital Currency Revolution which was co-authored by Professor Lourdes Casanova and John Ninia with the support of other Cornell students and faculty.

Mark was not only a legendary figure in emerging markets investing, but also someone whose curiosity, optimism, and generosity left a lasting impression on all who had the privilege to know him. His work transformed how global investors approached emerging economies and opened new frontiers for opportunity.

We were fortunate to benefit from his steadfast support—especially his enthusiastic backing of the Mark Mobius Pitch Competition that proudly bears his name. He engaged deeply with our students, our advisory board, and our broader community, always encouraging the next generation. He was forward-looking, energetic, and deeply engaged with the world and positive about emerging markets.

It has been a true honor to work with him over the years. He will be deeply missed but his legacy will live on.