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Hong Kong Steps Up Misconduct Investigations
As of 28 November 2008, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) had referred to the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) a total of 186 cases involving complaints of alleged misconduct in respect of investment products related to Lehman Brothers for the SFC to investigate and decide whether to take further action.
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Singapore Issues Update on Lehman Minibonds
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced that the trustee for the Lehman Minibond notes programme has informed it that the receivers for the Minibond notes series 5 to 10 have taken steps to terminate the swaps between Minibond Ltd and Lehman Brothers Special Financing Inc for series 5 to 8 of the notes.
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Demand Surges for Derivatives Revaluation Services
Derivatives technology and pricing specialist SuperDerivatives has reported a 250 per cent increase in demand for its derivatives revaluation from banks and asset managers in both developed and emerging markets.
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Barclays Bolsters HK Wealth Team
Barclays Wealth is strengthening its Hong Kong-based investment capability by hiring Steve Wong as its head of investment specialists.
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Systematic Trading Fund Launches in Australia
Superfund Group, a global managed futures firm, has launched its first Australian fund to provide retail and wholesale investors with exposure to investments in managed futures and market neutral long/short equity funds.
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UBS Offers Direct Market Access in Malaysia
UBS has launched Direct Market Access (DMA) on Bursa Malaysia, as well as rolling out its proprietary execution management system, UBS Sapphire.
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MSCI Barra Expands Islamic Indices Family
MSCI Barra is expanding the MSCI Global Islamic Indices family by extending emerging markets coverage to include the small cap size segment, and by adding coverage of 16 frontier markets countries.
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BNP Paribas Bulks up Indian Equity Research
BNP Paribas Securities has hired Manishi Raychaudhuri as India head of equity research to lead the firm's 22-strong team.
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UBS Adds Six to Asian Wealth Management
UBS Wealth Management has made some key strategic hires in Hong Kong and Singapore, in a bid to show its commitment to the region.
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FTSE Expands Environmental Index Series
FTSE Group has expanded the FTSE Environmental Opportunities Index Series by adding nine new indices.
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Dow Jones Targets ASEAN with Islamic Index
Dow Jones Indexes has launched the Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) ASEAN Index in what the company says is the first index to represent the performance of Shariah-compliant companies in six of the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
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Australian Fund and Wealth Managers Merge
Fund managers IOOF Holdings and Australian Wealth Management (AWM) have revealed plans to join forces to form a much larger financial services provider.
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Rabobank appoints Asian renewables and carbon credit head
Rabobank International has promoted Jotdeep Singh to head its renewable energy and carbon credits business in Asia. Singh will be based in Singapore and will oversee transactions mainly in wind energy, biomass, solar and other renewables worth an estimated $20 billion last year, according to Rabobank.
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China unveils $585bn stimulus package
China's State Council has moved to pursue an active expansionary fiscal policy and a looser monetary policy in a bid to bolster the Chinese economy amid signs of a slowdown in economic growth elsewhere in the world.
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HSBC terminates swaps in Lehman Brothers minibonds
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) says HSBC Institutional Trust Services, trustee of Lehman Brothers' defaulted minibond notes programme, has terminated the swaps that back series 1 to 8 of the programme to remove the risk of credit events in the underlying securities.
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Korean banks to share info on FX derivatives
South Korea's markets regulator in conjunction with the country's leading banking association have set up a database that allows banks to share information on the use of financial products by their clients, including exporters. The move by the Financial Supervisory Services (FSS) and the Korea Federation of Banks came as the won hit a 10-year low against the greenback that pushed some exporters to the brink of bankruptcy due to losses on over-sized derivatives positions.
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Credit Suisse names head of private banking in Australia
Credit Suisse has named Ray McGregor as its Sydney-based head of private banking for Australia.
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Julius Baer opens Jakarta office
Swiss private bank Julius Baer has opened an investment advisory office in Jakarta. Salina Nordin will head the new unit, Julius Baer Advisors Indonesia.
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Maybank rejigs management in bid to expand regional footprint
Kuala Lumpur-based Maybank, Malaysia's biggest bank by assets, is reshuffling its senior management team as part of its plan to be a leading regional financial services group by 2015.
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SFC puts structured product approvals on ice
Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has delayed approvals of structured product issues for retail distribution following protests from Hong Kong investors that have lost money from the blow-up of so-called minibond structured credit investments.
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Japanese ban naked shorts despite liquidity fears
The Japanese Financial Services Agency last week banned naked shorting of stocks on the Tokyo exchange until the end of the first quarter of 2009. But the experience of other countries implies the country now risks making the stock market even more volatile and illiquid.
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Taiwan watchdog clamps down on overseas investment
Taiwan’s financial markets watchdog has revised regulations governing the investment by domestic insurance companies in certain overseas assets by introducing limits on a their total investment in US government agency issued mortgage-backed securities (MBS).
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Korea sets up $30bn swap facility with US
South Korea has established a $30 billion swap facility with the United States on October 30 as part of its efforts to address risks linked to the exposure its banks have to offshore borrowing. The facility, agreed with the US Federal Reserve, is effective until April 30 next year. Singapore and Brazil have a similar arrangement in place with the US.
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StanChart names new head of capital markets
Standard Chartered has hired Christian Wait from Lehman Brothers as its new head of capital markets in Singapore, replacing Brad Levitt, who left several months ago. Wait was previously global head of credit sales at Lehman Brothers in New York, where he had worked for the past 23 years.
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JP Morgan hires Asia structured product marketing head
JP Morgan has relocated David Hansson to Hong Kong as head of structured investments distributor marketing (SIDM) for Asia ex-Japan and Australia.
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Nomura names equity heads for Asia and Europe
Japanese securities dealer Nomura has named new heads of equity for Asia and Europe, who will take up their posts on November 1, as it continues to integrate the former Asian and European operations of Lehman Brothers which it acquired in September.
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China FX Market to Remain Muted
The development of foreign exchange options and other FX derivatives in mainland China may face further challenges due to fallout from the credit crisis and revelation last week of large losses at Citic Pacific, the Hong Kong-listed arm of China’s largest state-owned investment company, on forex accumulators.
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Limited Scope
Given the partial convertibility of the renminbi (RMB), nearly all financial derivatives that banks offer in China are based on foreign currency. Also, provisional rules governing derivatives in China only allow the use of financial derivatives to either hedge risks or broker for clients. However, business opportunities could lie in the local currency derivatives business, which would likely be monopolised by the state.
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Conservative Regulatory Response
The four main financial regulators – the People’s Bank of China, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) – each play a major role in supervising the market. As a result, they have set up informal taskforces to exchange ideas and monitor the development of derivatives transactions in an effort to coordinate their policymaking efforts
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Demand for Data Grows
Treasurers and risk managers are also keenly eyeing counterparty limits – the need for which is expected to get more acute. They also want to keep track of how their trading partners are affected by the crisis.
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Moving Forwards
In attempts to foster best practice and take steps forward in developing the options market, speakers revealed their wish list:
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China FX Market to Remain Muted
The development of foreign exchange options and other FX derivatives in mainland China may face further challenges due to fallout from the credit crisis and revelation last week of large losses at Citic Pacific, the Hong Kong-listed arm of China’s largest state-owned investment company, on forex accumulators.
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Hong Kong Watchdog to Investigate Mis-Selling
Hong Kong's securities regulator has said it is welcoming the first referral of Lehman Brothers-backed Minibond mis-selling cases.
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India Lifts Curbs on Participatory Notes
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has lifted the ban on participatory notes (PNs), removing the requirement imposed in October 2007 forcing investors to register in India before buying shares and limits on offshore derivatives.
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Credit Suisse Bolsters Indian HNW Business
Credit Suisse has hired Sai Tampi from HSBC Asset Management to a newly-created role as it looks to expand its wealth management business in India.
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BNP Paribas Rebrands Private Bank
BNP Paribas is rebranding its private banking business as BNP Paribas Wealth Management to provide what the bank calls a more accurate reflection of the universal dimension of BNP Paribas' private banking client relationships.
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Calyon Hires New Head of Fixed Income for Korea
Calyon has named Duke Choi as head of fixed income markets for Korea, hiring him from Mizuho Corporate Bank to replace Gin Lee, who has been promoted to Calyon's senior country officer for Korea.
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StanChart Expands Private Banking in China
Standard Chartered Bank's China business will launch full-scale private banking services in four new cities in mainland China, expanding its overall coverage in the domestic market to six cities.
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Singapore Regulator Details Resolution for Minibond Investors
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has outlined details on the resolution process and timeline for investors in structured products linked to Lehman Brothers.
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Deutsche Names New Head of Global Markets in India
Munish Varma has become Deutsche Bank's new head of global markets for its Indian business.
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Singapore Exchange Sets Derivatives, ETF Records
Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX) said that both its derivatives and exchange-traded fund (ETF) markets set new trading records in September.
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Property Derivatives Take Step Forward in Asia
Inter-dealer broker ICAP is leading efforts to establish a Property Derivatives Interest Group in Asia-Pacific to promote the use of these instruments in the region.
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Hong Kong Cracks Down on Issuer Disclosure
Hong Kong's securities regulator is calling on all issuers of retail investment products to review whether risk disclosure and product descriptions are adequate, given the current market conditions.
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Singapore Regulator Tries to Reassure Investors
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is moving quickly to assure structured product investors that their complaints will be dealt with swiftly, and has pledged to take firm action on wrongdoers.
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MSCI Barra Creates Frontier Emerging Markets Index
MSCI Barra has launched the MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Index, and a more tradable proxy for this benchmark - the MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets APEX Index.
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SG Appoints New Country Head in Korea
Charles Pierron is Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking's new chief country officer for Korea.
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S&P Names New Head of Greater China
Standard & Poor's has announced the appointment of Ping Chew as managing director and head of Greater China, including Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.
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Hong Kong Regulator Investigates Mini-bond Mis-selling
Hong Kong's securities watchdog is formally investigating allegations that Lehman Brothers-related retail structured notes may have been misrepresented to local investors in the selling process.
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Barclays Unveils New FX Index Product
Barclays Capital has launched the latest addition to its suite of investable FX indices — the Barclays Adaptive FX Trend Index.
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Deutsche Bank Launches Inflation Indices
Deutsche Bank has created a suite of inflation indices to track inflation in both the developed and developing world.
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AmInvestment Bank Offers New Commodities Product
AmInvestment Bank Group's funds management division has launched AmMutual's latest unconventional capital protected fund, AmCommodities Active - Capital Protected.
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StanChart Pioneers Global Korean HNW Service
The Standard Chartered Private Bank has launched a new global Korean private client programme in what the firm said is the world's first integrated investment and financial package designed for high net worth (HNW) Korean expatriates.
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FTSE Changes Index Classifications
Among the main changes to emerge from FTSE Group's annual review of country classification for its equity indexes are the upgrade of South Korea from advanced emerging to developed status, and the decision to move red chip stocks from Hong Kong, which has developed status, to China, which has secondary emerging status.
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RBS Bulks up Sales and Credit Trading in Asia
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has made two senior hires in Asia as it continues to grow its platform in the region.
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Union Bank of India Launches Wealth Management
Union Bank of India has announced the launch of wealth management services through a tie-up with Edelweiss Securities.
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UBS Taps Goldman for Global FICC Head
UBS has raided Goldman Sachs in Asia to hire Carsten Kengeter as global head of the Swiss bank’s fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC) business from early 2009.
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StanChart Bolsters Structuring, Derivatives, Commodities
Standard Chartered Bank has made two senior hires in its financial markets business to strengthen its structuring, equity derivatives and commodities teams.
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StanChart Launches Global Indian HNW Service
The Standard Chartered Private Bank has created a new tailored offering of investment management, credit and advisory services for high net worth (HNW) Indians living around the world.
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Macquarie Hires Australian Head of Retail Distribution
Macquarie Funds Group has hired a former chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs JB Were's securities division to lead its retail distribution platform in Australia.
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Barclays Launches ETN on Asian Currency Index
Barclays Capital has listed an exchange-traded note (ETN) in the US which is linked to eight local Asian currencies.
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JPMorgan Raids ICICI Bank for New Indian Head
JPMorgan has hired a new chief executive officer for its Indian operations from the senior management ranks of ICICI Group.
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Barclays Plans to Tap More South Asian Wealth
Barclays Wealth is sharpening its focus on the South Asian high net worth community based in North Asia by hiring Nitin Birla as director and head of the Hong Kong desk for South Asia.
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AmBank and ANZ Forge Malaysian Derivatives Venture
AMMB Holdings and ANZ have announced their plans to establish an AmBank Group foreign exchange, interest rate and commodities derivatives business in Malaysia.
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Clariden Leu Appoints New Team Head in Hong Kong
Swiss private banking firm Clariden Leu has appointed Philip Penaloza to the position of team head for its asset management office in Hong Kong.
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S&P Launches New Indian Index
Standard & Poor's has launched its S&P India Select Index to provide global investors with tradable exposure to the largest and most liquid companies in India.
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Calyon Moves Head of Global FX Strategy to Asia
Mitul Kotecha, Calyon's head of global FX strategy, has moved to the bank's Hong Kong office from London.
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Deutsche Hires New Head of Private Clients in India
Deutsche Bank has hired Prashant Joshi from Standard Chartered Bank as head of private and business clients in India.
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Fortis Reveals New Private Banking Leadership in Asia
Fortis is taking the next step in its integration with ABN AMRO Private Banking in Asia by announcing a new leadership team for the combined private bank in the region.
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Barclays Bulks Up Further in HK and Singapore
Barclays Wealth has strengthened its investment and advisory businesses in Hong Kong and Singapore with two hires, from RBS Coutts Bank and ANZ.
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Deutsche Creates Index to Hedge Asian Inflation
Deutsche Bank has developed an index enabling institutional and eligible high net worth investors in Asia to hedge inflation in the region.
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Lyxor Launches Guaranteed China Fund
On the back of increasing volatility in China's equity market, Lyxor Asset Management has launched its Lyxor China All Weather Guaranteed Fund.
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JPMorgan Boosts Korea Focus With OTC Derivatives Licence
JPMorgan has secured a licence to market and trade over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives onshore in South Korea.
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Macquarie Strengthens Indian Team
Macquarie Securities has in recent weeks made a series of new appointments in India as part of its plan to strengthen its onshore presence and local product offering.
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Senior UBS Banker Joins BarCap as Structuring Chief
Chak Wong has left UBS to become head of structuring for Barclays Capital in Asia-Pacific, within his new firm's multi-asset class platform.
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RBS Adds More FX Expertise in Japan
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has bolstered its FX capabilities in Japan with two senior hires to cover financial institutions and corporates.
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BEA Launches Novel RMB Trust Product
The China subsidiary of Hong Kong's Bank of East Asia (BEA) has become the first overseas bank in China to launch a renminbi trust product.
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Maybank Creates New Deposit With Sustainable Twist
Maybank has launched what it calls the first structured capital guarantee deposit in Malaysia to invest in three asset classes, namely money market, equities and commodities, with a focus on sustainable sectors.
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RBS Strengthens Rates and FX Teams
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) has boosted its trading and structuring teams in Asia with four senior appointments.
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StanChart Grows Private Banking Management
The Standard Chartered Private Bank is continuing to make senior appointments in its management team, with new global heads for strategy implementation and relationship management.
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ANZ Hires New Asian Wealth Head
Sean West will join ANZ in mid-September as managing director for the bank's wealth business in Asia, to lead strategic growth in investment and insurance in selected markets.
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Deutsche Bank Names Head of Private Wealth for Australasia
Deutsche Bank has appointed Trent Doughty as head of its private wealth management business in Australia and New Zealand.
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Lehman Expands Algorithmic Trading to Indian Shares
Lehman Brothers has added algorithmic trading for shares traded on India's National Stock Exchange as it continues to build out its equity platform in Asia.
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Dow Jones Reveals Index for Top Indian Companies
Dow Jones Indexes is expanding its global titans family by adding a blue-chip index for India's biggest companies.
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RBS Launches Latest Malaysian Offering
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has launched a new structured investment in Malaysia to allow investors to build a well-positioned investment portfolio in volatile market conditions.
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Barclays Wealth Hires Asian Strategist
Manpreet Singh Gill is Barclays Wealth's new Asia Strategist, responsible for providing in-depth analysis of regional markets, interpreting market economics and developing investment strategies for the firm's private clients.
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StanChart Raids Deutsche for Senior Private Banker
The Standard Chartered Private Bank has hired Gary Tiernan from Deutsche Bank as global head of investment advisory and fiduciary.
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Barclays Wealth Expands Alternatives Team
Barclays Wealth has hired Andreas Kuhnle from Deutsche Bank to grow its Asian alternative investments capability.
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Bank Sarasin Hires New HK Vice Chair from UBS
Bank Sarasin & Co has hired Elina So to the newly-created position of vice chairman in its Hong Kong subsidiary, Sarasin Rabo Investment Management Limited.
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MSCI Barra Launches Global Currency Indices
MSCI Barra has expanded its thematic and strategy index business by launching MSCI Global Currency Indices.
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FTSE Creates New Way to Invest in Frontier Markets
FTSE Group has broadened its Global Equity Index Series by launching the FTSE Frontier 50 to include coverage of the so-called frontier markets.
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Hong Kong Lists First Gold ETF
Hong Kong's first gold exchange-traded fund (ETF) has been listed on the main board of the local bourse to give investors another channel to access this commodity.
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UBS Appoints New Head of Global Structured Products
Vito Schiro, head of European equity derivative sales at UBS, has also been appointed as the bank's new head of global structured products.
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Credit Suisse Sets Up New Equity Derivatives Team
Credit Suisse is forming an equity-linked solutions group in Asia to originate and structure equity derivatives solutions for corporates and financial institutions.
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Barclays Beefs up Asian FX Team
Barclays Capital is strengthening its FX trading and structured FX platform in Asia-Pacific with a new hire and two internal promotions.
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Polaris Launches Structured Warrants in Singapore
Polaris Securities will launch four structured warrants on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) this week — a move which sees the Taiwanese stock broker list its first structured warrants outside of its home market.
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MSCI Barra Creates Agriculture and Food Chain Indices
MSCI Barra has launched a new set of indices within its thematic and strategy group to tap opportunities across the agriculture and food chain sectors.
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ING Unveils Oil-Linked Fund in Thailand
ING Funds has launched a principal protected, oil-linked fund in Thailand which is offering investors returns from zero to 10 per cent per year.
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Maybank Launches Islamic Commodities Fund
Maybank has launched a two-year, single-premium investment-linked Islamic commodities fund to give investors more diversification in their portfolios.
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Ex-Citi Wealth Chief Joins Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs has hired Kaven Leung, until recently head of Citigroup's wealth-management business in Asia, to a newly-created role as deputy head of Asia private wealth management.
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Morgan Stanley Expands Private Wealth Team in India
Morgan Stanley has appointed Neena Prasad as a private wealth adviser for the northern region of India as the US bank continues to grow its onshore business.
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Rabobank Taps Food and Agribusiness Boom
Rabobank has created two new food and agribusiness (F&A) equity-linked indices to meet investors' need for benchmarks in the agriculture sector beyond commodities.
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Citi Creates New Quant Approach
Citigroup Global Markets recently launched the Citi Market Allocation Fund, a private fund managed by Citigroup First Investment Management linked to the Citi Market Allocation Strategy, the bank's proprietary quant-based "smart" investment strategy.
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CIMB Product Links Returns to Investment Experts
CIMB Bank has structured an investment product which allows investors to benefit from the expertise of four world-renowned investment figures.
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HSBC Offers New Derivative Product on Hong Kong Indices
HSBC has launched a range of Callable Bull/Bear Contracts (CBBCs) on some of Hong Kong's most popular indices, to widen the scope of product variety in line with customer demand.
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Credit Suisse Plans Private Banking in Japan
Credit Suisse has revealed its intention to launch private banking operations in Japan by the end of this year, with Junya Tani to spearhead the business.
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Islamic Bank Launches Shariah Products
The Islamic Bank of Asia has launched two Shariah-compliant structured products to help customers manage their liability risks and maximise opportunities from currency movements.
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Industry Releases Principles for Product Distribution
Five global trade associations have released non-binding principles to address a range of issues affecting distribution of retail structured products to individual investors.
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Hong Kong and Australia Sign Funds Initiative
Securities regulators in Hong Kong and Australia have signed a “declaration of mutual recognition” to facilitate the sale of retail funds to investors in each other's market.
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Singapore to Get Commodities Exchange
Commodities exchanges operator Financial Technologies will set up the Singapore Mercantile Exchange (SMX) early next year to create what it says will be the first international commodity derivatives electronic trading platform in Asia.
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HSBC Shores Up India Focus
HSBC has appointed Hitendra Dave as head of global markets for India, as the bank looks to increase its focus on the domestic market.
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New Head of Private Clients for ABN AMRO in India
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has announced that Paul Davies will take charge as head of ABN AMRO's private clients business in India.
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New China Index Launches in Singapore
A new China index series tracking the 20 largest China stocks on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) has been launched.
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BEA Expands Private Banking to Shenzhen
Hong Kong-based lender the Bank of East Asia (BEA) has started offering private banking services in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.
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Merrill Names Private Wealth Chief for Pacific Rim
Merrill Lynch has appointed Antony Hung as the head of its wealth management business in the Pacific Rim region.
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Deutsche Appoints Head of Global Markets for Japan
Marzio Keiling is Deutsche Securities' new head of global markets Japan, as well as being appointed as Japan's representative on the bank's global markets executive committee.
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New Thai Index Series Ready for Licensing
FTSE Group and the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) have made the FTSE SET Index Series available for licensing for domestic and international investors.
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HSBC Plans Wealth Management Team in Australia
HSBC has said it will set up a wholesale wealth management business in Australia with its sights set on accessing the A$1 trillion-plus in superannuation money.
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Markit Grows Index Business
Markit is creating a new bespoke index service by hiring Scott Stark as a director in its index division.
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SG Hires New Indian Wealth Management Head
Societe Generale's private banking arm has appointed Nipun Mehta to run its Indian business.
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Lehman Bolsters Corporate Sales in Asia
Lehman Brothers has strengthened its corporate business in Asia-Pacific by hiring a new head of corporate structuring in the region.
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FTSE Creates New Environmental, Real Estate Indices
FTSE is creating new indices relating to environmental and real estate opportunities to give investors a broader range of options.
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S&P Allies with SuperDerivatives in Valuations Offering
Standard & Poor's Securities Evaluations has agreed a strategic sales and marketing tie-up with SuperDerivatives for valuation offerings for fixed income securities (cash and structured products) and all major OTC and exchange-traded derivative asset classes.
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NumeriX Expands in Asia
NumeriX has opened a new regional office in Hong Kong as it looks to grow its Asian platform, especially in China.
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Markit Grows Government Business
Markit has continued to expand its global team by hiring Marcus Schüler as managing director in sales and marketing.
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Deutsche Bank Hires Taiwan Private Bank Chief From Citi
Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management has hired Victor Chao as head of its Taiwanese franchise.
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S&P Launches Thematic Indices for Asia
Standard & Poor's has launched the S&P Asia Thematic Index Series, comprising new investible indices on water, infrastructure and alternative assets for Asian equity markets.
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ABN AMRO Offers Exposure to Alternatives in Australia
ABN AMRO recently launched Altera Securities, a five-year structured investment providing Australian retail investors with equal exposure to Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) nations, global infrastructure and commodities, with the security of a 100 per cent capital guarantee.
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Australian Investors Get More Commodities Access
A new fund is being launched in Australia to capture returns via an indirect exposure to Barclays Capital's Commodities Out-Performance Roll Adjusted Liquid Strategy Index (CORALS (USD) Index).
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JPMorgan Targets Retail with Equity, Fund Products
JPMorgan has launched equity- and fund-linked structures in Hong Kong and Singapore to give retail investors access to quantitative strategies typically offered to institutional and high net worth clients.
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SG Launches Credit Note for Singapore Retail
Société Générale is offering five-year credit-linked notes in Singapore to give investors diversification through exposure to China, India, Korea, Thailand and Malaysia sovereign and quasi-sovereign bond markets.
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IRS Traders Await Chinese Master Agreement
After growing four times last year to Rmb220 billion, trading volume of interest rate swaps in China slowed in the first quarter of 2008.
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Dresdner Creates Carbon Emissions Notes in Japan
Dresdner Kleinwort is enabling retail investors in Japan to invest in Euro-denominated carbon emissions-linked notes.
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CBA Enters Structured Investment Solutions
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has made a strategic move into structured investments with the launch of a new generation of products which target individual investors and self managed super funds (SMSFs).
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S&P Agrees Tie-Up with Korean Exchange
Standard & Poor's has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Exchange (KRX) to develop a new set of indices.
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Credit Suisse Launches Wealth Management in Mumbai
Credit Suisse is opening a wealth management business in Mumbai as part of the bank's focus on expanding its onshore private banking presence in Asia.
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Citi Creates Tracker Products to Tap Taiwan Growth
Citi has launched three Taiwan index-linked exchange traded certificates (ETCs), to be listed in Hong Kong, to enable investors to tap growing market opportunities in Taiwan.
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Deutsche Appoints Asia Head of Investments for HNW Clients
Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management has appointed Anurag Mahesh as head of global investments and sales for Asia-Pacific.
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China Outlines Detailed Rules for Wealth Products
A new alert from China's banking regulator has specified that QDII banks are required to take full responsibility for any offshore investment products sold to their customers through local wealth management accounts/QDII schemes.
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S&P Launches Global Agri Index
Standard & Poor's is launching what it claims to be the first index to offer exposure to both equities and commodities across the entire agribusiness industry.
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Deutsche Names New Global Equity Derivatives Chief
Richard Carson is Deutsche Bank's new head of global equity derivatives (GED), a newly-integrated business unit which includes the bank's vanilla, synthetic and complex equity derivatives franchises.
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Lyxor to List New ETFs in Hong Kong
Lyxor will this week announce the launch of five new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in Hong Kong.
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MSCI Barra and SGX Sign Index Futures Deal
Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX) will this week list the SGX MSCI Asia APEX 50 Index futures for trading, creating the first internationally available pan-Asian futures contract based on the MSCI Asia APEX 50 Index.
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ING Boosts Thai Retail Focus with TMB Bank Deal
A new partnership between TMB Bank and ING will help create a top-tier universal bank in Thailand, with an initial focus on retail banking and risk management spurred by ING Life insurance products being made available at all TMB branches.
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ICICI Bank Tailors Cards to Priority Customers
ICICI Bank has launched a "Platinum Identity" credit card as part of a tailored offering to what it calls a "discerning and affluent set of customers who wish to experience the privileges that are offered to the global cardholder".
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Deutsche Bank Appoints Head of Global Markets in Korea
Deutsche Bank has appointed Jeffrey Chung as its head of global markets for Korea.
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JPMorgan Hires Asia Commodities Chief
JPMorgan has hired Oral W Dawe as chief executive officer of its Asia-Pacific commodities group, in charge of sales, trading and principal investing.
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BNP Paribas Seals Wealth Management Venture in Thailand
BNP Paribas Private Bank has forged a strategic business alliance with Thanachart Securities Public Company Limited to service high net worth individuals in Thailand.
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Merrill Grows Taiwan Private Bank Operations
Regulators in Taiwan have approved Merrill Lynch to expand its onshore private banking business.
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Barclays Launches Agriculture Fund
Barclays has launched its Global Agriculture Delta Fund in Singapore and Hong Kong, aiming to provide a novel investment opportunity for investors to gain exposure to the performance of the Rogers International Commodity Index-Agriculture.
read more ... >>
Dow Jones Creates Islamic Index for H-Shares and Red Chips
Dow Jones Indexes has launched an index which represents the performance of Chinese companies screened for compliance with Islamic principles and which are listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
read more ... >>
Global Regulators Sharpen Focus on Suitability
Financial services regulators around the world are cracking down on customer suitability in the retail sale of financial products and services.
read more ... >>
Hong Kong Warns of Risks of Structured Products
Hong Kong's securities regulator has warned retail investors that they must fully understand the risks of structured products before they make any investment decisions.
read more ... >>
Fortis Appoints New Asia Private Banking Chief
Fortis Private Banking has appointed Barend Janssens as its new Asia head of the future combined private bank of Fortis and ABN AMRO, in the group's latest move to integrate private banking functions.
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Rothschild Strengthens Asian Private Banking Presence
Rothschild Private Banking and Trust has appointed Mark Jackman as its new head of Asia-Pacific and India.
read more ... >>
India to Gradually Introduce Currency Futures
The Reserve Bank of India plans to introduce currency futures to give domestic companies a new hedging tool.
read more ... >>
Malaysia's STMB Launches First Islamic Product
Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Berhad (STMB) unveiled its first Shariah-compliant capital-protected investment-linked fund, to provide investors with a comprehensive, five-year “peace-of-mind” Islamic investment structure.
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Asian Investors Shift Product Focus
Capital protection and multi-asset, hybrid investment strategies have become the preferred product strategies in Asia over recent months, according to a Barclays Capital survey of the region's leading wealth managers.
read more ... >>
Credit Suisse Bolsters Private Bank in Australia
Credit Suisse has strengthened its private banking capability in Australia by acquiring small- to mid-cap business corporate advisory consultant Hindal for an unspecified sum.
read more ... >>
Lehman Hires Head of Equity Trading in Japan
Lehman Brothers is expanding its trading operations in Tokyo with the hire of Kunio Tahara from Goldman Sachs as managing director and head of equity trading in Japan.
read more ... >>
IDBI Fortis Life to Offer Structured Products in India
IDBI Fortis Life Insurance, a joint venture between Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI), Federal Bank and Fortis in India, has launched life insurance operations and plans to sell a range of structured products after securing approval from all regulators.
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Sarasin Raids Credit Suisse to Boost Philippines Coverage
Sarasin Rabo Investment Management has recruited a four-strong offshore Philippines team from Credit Suisse.
read more ... >>
Calyon Strengthens Commodities Focus in Asia
Calyon has hired Mark Greenleaf from Dresdner Kleinwort as head of commodities for Asia.
read more ... >>
UBS Executes First RMB Rates Swap
UBS' Beijing Branch has executed its first RMB interest rate swap trade with a local Chinese counterparty.
read more ... >>
StanChart Hires Structured Products Team from Lehman
Standard Chartered Bank has hired three senior structured products specialists from Lehman Brothers in Asia to form the backbone of a new team.
read more ... >>
UBS Expands Wealth Management in Taiwan
UBS is expanding to wealth management business in Taiwan by opening two new wealth management centres.
read more ... >>
Calyon Grows Structuring Team in Asia
Calyon has named Patricia Leung as regional head of interest rate derivatives and hybrid structuring for Asia ex-Japan.
read more ... >>
Deutsche Bank Hires Citi Strategist for Private Wealth
Deutsche Bank has hired a new chief Asian strategist within its private wealth management business.
read more ... >>
MSCI Barra Launches Global Volatility Indices
MSCI Barra has created MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Indices, a new global benchmark for managed volatility investment strategies.
read more ... >>
Morgan Stanley Makes Onshore Push in Private Banking
Morgan Stanley is expanding the reach of its private wealth management operations in Asia with two senior appointments.
read more ... >>
China Cracks Down on Wealth Management Products
China's banking watchdog has issued new rules to further regulate banks' wealth management businesses, to improve the way they are run.
read more ... >>
Credit Suisse Names Head of Private Banking Research for Asia
Fan Cheuk Wan has been appointed as head of private banking research for Credit Suisse in Asia-Pacific.
read more ... >>
Barclays Creates FX Volatility Indices
Barclays Capital has created what it calls a market first with the launch of a family of FX volatility indices to enable investors with different objectives to exploit such opportunities.
read more ... >>
HSBC Targets Emerging Markets with Titans Index
HSBC has launched the HSBC Optimised Global Emerging Markets (GEM) Titans Index to capture the performance of the largest companies in the major emerging market economies.
read more ... >>
China to Encourage Derivatives to Manage FX Risks
China will create new derivative products to help domestic firms cope with more volatile FX rates as the country moves closer to opening up its foreign exchange regime.
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Barclays Launches Fixed Income Fund in Singapore
Barclays Capital has launched its Premier Fixed Income Fund in Singapore, offering up to 7 per cent returns and inflation protection through exposure to its inflation-linked index.
read more ... >>
Dresdner Hires Asia Equity Derivatives Chief
Dresdner Kleinwort, the investment banking arm of Dresdner Bank, has hired Kenichi Niizeki from Morgan Stanley as managing director and head of global equity derivatives in Asia Pacific.
read more ... >>
Deutsche Asset Management Expands in Australia
Deutsche Asset Management has strengthened its structured products team in Australia after recruiting Davone Khamphet from Everest Babcock & Brown.
read more ... >>
Barclays Launches Commodities Fund in Singapore
Barclays Capital has launched a retail fund in Singapore directly tracking the performance of the Rogers International Commodity Index - Total Return (RICI - Total Return).
read more ... >>
HKEx Hires New Head of Risk Management
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) has hired Kevin King as its new head of risk management.
read more ... >>
Fortis Prime Fund Solutions Hires New Head of Asia
Edith Ngan will take charge of the Fortis Prime Fund Solutions (PFS) offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo, with a mandate to expand the service levels and product range.
read more ... >>
India Exchange Introduces Commodity Index Futures
India’s National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange has will soon list the country’s first commodity index futures and options.
read more ... >>
ICAP Enters Property Derivatives in Asia
Leading inter-dealer broker ICAP has expanded its property derivatives business into Asia-Pacific, with George Dranganoudis to spearhead regional operations based out of Singapore.
read more ... >>
S&P Launches India 10 Index
Standard & Poor's has created an index comprising 10 of the largest and most liquid Indian companies which trade on developed market exchanges.
read more ... >>
Merrill Lynch Creates Carbon Emissions Indices
Merrill Lynch Global Research has introduced the MLCX Global CO2 Emissions Index, a new global emissions benchmark to provide investors with a clear and balanced insight into this rapidly growing market.
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DBS Expands in India
DBS Bank has secured eight new branch licenses across India, enabling it to provide a wide range of wealth management and other services to existing and new customers.
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Rabobank Promotes Asia Chief to Global Derivatives Head
Donal Galvin, head of financial markets for Rabobank in Asia Pacific, has been appointed as the bank’s global head of equity and fund derivatives.
read more ... >>
HSBC Names Singapore Global Markets Chief
Amit Gupta has been appointed as HSBC's head of global markets for Singapore as of April 1, to succeed John McGowan, who is retiring.
read more ... >>
Deutsche Creates Regional Equity Derivatives Flow Platform
Deutsche Bank has created a centralised, pan-Asian equity derivatives sales platform, appointing Mark Davis as head of equity derivatives flow.
read more ... >>
Macquarie Targets Asian Private Clients
Macquarie Group plans to access the growing wealth management opportunities in Asia after announcing the opening of an office in Singapore.
read more ... >>
HSBC Increases China Private Banking Focus
HSBC wants to increase the pace at which it grows its onshore private banking business in mainland China, in line with the rapidly-growing number of high net worth individuals in the domestic market.
read more ... >>
Lyxor and SGX Pioneer India ETF on Nifty
Lyxor International Asset Management will list its Lyxor ETF India (S&P CNX NIFTY) on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) on March 28, creating the first India ETF in Asia to be based on the Nifty index.
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Hong Kong Regulator Warns Over Equity Products
Hong Kong's securities regulator has reminded retail investors that most equity-linked instruments (ELIs) are not capital protected, and are therefore only suitable for those investors able to understand the structures.
read more ... >>
Deutsche Hires Six From JPMorgan Private Bank
Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management has bolstered its Hong Kong team by acquiring six senior relationship bankers from JPMorgan Private Bank.
read more ... >>
Bear Stearns Venture into Asian Equities
Bear Stearns has hired BNP Paribas’ Darius Yuen to runs its Asian equity capital markets business, as the US firm builds on its joint venture with China International Trust & Investment Corp's securities arm.
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BNP Paribas Adds Trading Talent in Tokyo
BNP Paribas Securities in Japan has hired Adrian Averre, formerly head of vanilla option trading at Lehman Brothers.
read more ... >>
S&P Pioneers Real-Time Currency Indices
Standard & Poor’s has launched real-time currency indices for China and India, to provide investors with exposure to two emerging economic superpowers which currently lack a liquid currency futures market.
read more ... >>
Dow Jones Launches Commodity Sub-Indexes
Dow Jones Indexes is responding to the growing demand for commodity-related products by launching three new indexes with AIG Financial Products.
read more ... >>
Deutsche Bank Gives Asian Equities a Boost
Deutsche Bank has moved Noreddine Sebti, its global head of equity trading, from New York to Hong Kong to run the firm's equities business in Asia.
read more ... >>
UBS Strengthens Commodities Team in Asia
UBS has appointed Terence Noe as its new head of exchange-traded commodity derivatives for Asia.
read more ... >>
Merrill Launches Frontier Index
Merrill Lynch's global research team has created a new frontier equity index to identify the largest and most liquid stocks in frontier markets.
read more ... >>
Maybank Fund Taps Asian Growth
Maybank has launched its latest structured product, called Precious Asian, a capital guaranteed investment-linked plan offering an attractive potential return with full capital protection at maturity.
read more ... >>
HwangDBS Offers China-Linked Call Warrants
HwangDBS Investment Bank has created its first retail structured product for 2008, by offering two call warrants linked to blue-chip China stocks.
read more ... >>
Moody's Predicts Uncertain Derivatives Outlook
A new report by Moody's Investors Service says that uncertainty in global market conditions will make it difficult to predict derivatives activity in the coming months.
read more ... >>
Malaysia Gives Unit Trust Industry a Boost
Malaysia's Securities Commission (SC) has issued revised and new guidelines to facilitate continued growth and enhance competitiveness of the unit trust industry — by providing more flexibility to structure derivative-based products.
read more ... >>
Standard Chartered Completes Amex Purchase
Standard Chartered has completed the acquisition of American Express Bank for US$823 million, helping propel its financial institution and private banking businesses.
read more ... >>
Merrill Names President of Indian Operations
Merrill Lynch has appointed Kevan Watts as president of DSP Merrill Lynch, its Indian unit, as it looks to strengthen its presence in the country, in particular its wealth management and advisory business.
read more ... >>
Commerzbank Boosts Alternatives Platform in Asia
Commerzbank Alternative Investment Strategies (Comas) has acquired Guy Medcraft as its new head of business development for Asia Pacific, as it looks to bolster its fund of hedge fund business.
read more ... >>
HSBC Appoints New Retail Head in Malaysia
HSBC Bank Malaysia has appointed Lim Eng Seong as its new general manager for personal financial services.
read more ... >>
Bank of America Strengthens Korean Team
Bank of America has announced a new leader of its financial institutions group (FIG) business in Korea.
read more ... >>
Hong Kong Regulator Re-appoints Alexa Lam
Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has re-appointed Alexa Lam as executive director in charge of policy, China and investment products, with a new title of deputy chief executive officer for three years from 1 March 2008.
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Lehman Enters Japan Carbon Trading Market
Lehman Brothers plans to start trading physical Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) in Japan, making it the only global investment bank which can link the Japanese and European carbon markets.
read more ... >>
China and US Forge Closer Ties on Derivatives Trading
Chinese and US regulators have committed to much greater cooperation on derivatives trading, according to Xinhua Financial Network.
read more ... >>
Russell to Launch Global-Style Indexes
Russell Investments plans to launch global-style equity indexes on April 1, including the Russell Global Large Cap Growth Index and Russell Global Large Cap Value Index, to reflect key growth and value segments of the Russell Global Index.
read more ... >>
Eight More China Funds Target Wealth Management
Eight China-based fund management firms have revealed that that they have won preliminary approval to offer wealth management services to institutional investors.
read more ... >>
Fubon Financial to Start Private Banking in March
Taiwan's Fubon Financial will launch a private banking business next month in a bid to tap the lucrative high net worth segment in the domestic market.
read more ... >>
Markit Plans Multi-Dealer Valuations Platform
Markit has revealed its plans to create the first global, multi-bank, cross-asset client valuation platform.
read more ... >>
MSCI Barra to Launch Asian Hedge Fund Index
MSCI Barra plans to launch a new investable hedge fund index to reflect the overall structure and composition of the Asia-Pacific hedge fund universe.
read more ... >>
Taiwanese Issuer Launches Structured Warrants on SGX
Yuanta Securities is launching its first warrants on Taiwanese underlying stocks outside its domestic market today, opting for the Singapore Exchange (SGX).
read more ... >>
Japan and China Agree QDII Cooperation
Japanese and Chinese regulators have created a framework for regulatory cooperation related to China's QDII scheme.
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S&P Launches Shariah Indices for Indian Market
Two new investable Shariah indices have been launched for the Indian equities market - the S&P CNX 500 Shariah and S&P CNX Nifty Shariah - by Standard & Poor's in conjunction with India Index Services & Products Limited.
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BNP Paribas Hires Commodity Derivatives Chief in Asia
BNP Paribas is strengthening its commodities capability in Asia after hiring Frederic Hervouet as head of commodity investor derivatives in the region.
read more ... >>
UBS Reshuffles Hong Kong Management
Chi-Won Yoon has become chief executive officer (CEO) of UBS in Hong Kong, as well as country head for Hong Kong.
read more ... >>
Credit Suisse Appoints Asian Securities Chief
Credit Suisse has appointed Osama Abbasi as its head of global securities for non-Japan Asia, including Australia, in a newly established role that will see him oversee sales, structuring, trading and research across both equities and fixed income.
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Malaysian Regulator Makes Senior Appointments
Malaysia's Securities Commission has appointed Dato Dr Nik Ramlah Mahmood and Datuk Ranjit Ajit Singh as managing directors, meaning that the two will play a key role in assisting the chairman with the day-to-day operations related to the broad areas of regulation and development respectively.
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Food Inflation Theme Grows in Popularity
A theme which is expected to gain greater traction among buyers and sellers of structured products in 2008 is food inflation.
read more ... >>
HSBC Launches Retail Banking in Japan
HSBC has officially entered the Japanese retail banking market with the launch of HSBC Premier, its personal wealth management service.
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Derivatives Surge Boosts Bursa Malaysia Profit
Malaysian stock exchange Bursa Malaysia posted a net profit of RM240.6 million (US$74.5 million) in 2007, with the significant growth in derivatives contracts helping to create the 123 per cent jump in profit.
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Reuters Offers Tokyo Stock Exchange Derivatives Feed
Reuters has added the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) ITA derivatives feed to its list of globally available low latency data-sets.
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RBC Opens Office in India
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has entered the Indian market by opening its first (representative) office in the financial hub of Bandra Kurla, Mumbai.
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Credit Suisse Takes Key Step to Grow Indian Wealth Business
Credit Suisse has been awarded a Portfolio Management Scheme License in India — an important milestone in helping it to build its local wealth management business.
read more ... >>
Hong Kong Sees Launch of First Zero Certs
In an important financial innovation in Hong Kong, ABN AMRO has developed the first ever zero-strike participation certificates for the local market, giving retail investors cheaper and easier access to alternative markets and asset classes.
read more ... >>
FTSE Launches Shariah Index Series
FTSE Group has combined with Yasaar Research to launch the FTSE Shariah Global Equity Index Series.
read more ... >>
CALYON Taps Hong Kong Retail Demand
In an attempt to cater to more conservative investor sentiment, CALYON has launched Calyon Fortune Series 22 & 23 — a product which is designed to provide protection to coupon payout and principal under volatile market conditions, although it is not a capital guaranteed product.
read more ... >>
S&P and BusinessWeek Create Global Innovation Index
Standard & Poor's has teamed up with global business media company BusinessWeek to launch the investment industry's first global innovation index.
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JPMorgan Bolsters China Equity Derivatives Team
JPMorgan is expanding its China equity derivatives operations with three new hires to focus on domestic Chinese clients as activity continues to grow rapidly in this space in the mainland.
read more ... >>
Man Extends Reach with Singapore Office
Man Investments has for the first time opened an office in Singapore as the alternative investment manager recognises the city-state as a key centre for the burgeoning hedge fund industry.
read more ... >>
Citi Expands Wealth Offering in China
Citi has opened its branch in Dalian, North-East China, to offer banking and wealth management services to corporates and individuals.
read more ... >>
China Allows Banks to Invest in Singapore
China’s banking regulator has authorised its banks to invest directly in Singapore stocks, fixed-income instruments and mutual funds as part of their wealth management operations under the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (QDII) programme.
read more ... >>
MSCI Barra Creates Thematic and Strategy Indices
MSCI Barra has launched the first of four indices belonging to its new MSCI Thematic & Strategy Indices family, to capture the beta of specific investment themes and strategies.
read more ... >>
S&P Launches Global Shariah Indices
Standard & Poor’s has created three new benchmark indices to help investors track the performance of the largest global universe of more than US$20 trillion of Shariah-compliant equities.
read more ... >>
BNP Strengthens Taiwan Wealth Management Team
BNP Paribas Private Bank has made a senior appointment in its Taiwan business as it bids to further solidify its foothold in what it calls one of the most promising markets in Asia.
read more ... >>
Dow Jones Helps Pioneer New Faith-Based Indexes
Dow Jones Indexes has teamed up with private firm Dharma Investments to create faith-based investment opportunities via the launch of the Dow Jones Dharma Indexes.
read more ... >>
BNP Launches First ELI Contracts
BNP Paribas is expanding its structured products and derivatives franchise in Asia with the launch of its first equity-linked investment (ELI) contracts.
read more ... >>
Hong Kong Commits to Commodity Derivatives
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) has pledged to enable the trading of commodities derivatives and emissions-related products within the next few months.
read more ... >>
SG Offers Innovative Warrants in Singapore
Société Générale has launched the first Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) warrants in Singapore.
read more ... >>
HSBC Raids Merrills in Wealth Management Push
HSBC is growing the wealth management sales business within its corporate, investment banking and markets group by hiring a senior structured products specialist from Merrill Lynch.
read more ... >>
Bank Julius Baer Scoops UBS Private Bankers
Swiss private bank Julius Baer is continuing to enhance its presence in South-East Asia after hiring a team of six wealth managers from UBS.
read more ... >>
RBS Enters Retail Market in Japan
RBS Securities Japan Limited has entered the Japanese retail structured products market with the first two public offerings of RBS plc structured bonds in the country.
read more ... >>
CIMB Creates Islamic Product to Cover Bulls and Bears
CIMB Islamic Bank has launched a structured investment that enables investors to benefit from both bull and bear markets across different asset classes.
read more ... >>
S&P Launches Global Eco Index
Standard & Poor’s has launched a new investable index for investors seeking exposure to environmentally-responsible investment strategies.
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New Straits Times Index Launches in Singapore
Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), Singapore Exchange (SGX) and FTSE Group (FTSE) have jointly launched the revamped Straits Times Index (STI), as well as the other 18 new indices of the FTSE ST Index Series.
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Credit Suisse Makes Senior Hire for Greater China
Credit Suisse has hired Jack So as vice chairman, Greater China, to support the development of its investment banking, private banking and asset management divisions in the region.
read more ... >>
Dow Jones launches Islamic Market India Index
Dow Jones Indexes has launched launch its Dow Jones Islamic Market India Index to measure the performance of Shariah-compliant stocks traded on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
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HSBC Eyes Retail broking in India
HSBC is looking to start retail broking operations in India as a compliment to its wealth management business.
read more ... >>
Singapore, Taiwan Exchanges Forge Derivatives Tie-Up
The Singapore Exchange (SGX) and Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX) have signed a memorandum of understanding to improve ties and explore growth opportunities in derivatives.
read more ... >>
Dow Jones Launches 2008 Olympic Games Index
Dow Jones Indexes has launched a 2008 Summer Games Index to measure the performance of the companies which are the official partners, sponsors and suppliers of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
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Barclays Wealth Hires Head of Global Dealing
Barclays Wealth has hired Stephen Grady from Fortis Investments as the new head of global dealing.
read more ... >>
Lehman Expands FX Coverage in Japan
Lehman Brothers is bolstering its FX strategy capabilities with the appointment of Taisuke Tanaka as managing director and chief foreign exchange strategist for Japan.
read more ... >>
Markit Buys SwapsWire
Markit Group, the derivatives data and valuations specialists, is continuing to expand globally after agreeing in principle to buy SwapsWire, the electronic trade confirmation network for the OTC derivative markets.
read more ... >>
Citi Appoints New Wealth Chief in India
Anuratna Chadha has been appointed as country business manager for Citi Private Bank in India and onshore head of the Citi Global Wealth Management business.
read more ... >>
Calyon Grows Equity Derivatives Team in Asia
Calyon is continuing to strengthen its Asian equity derivatives capability with the arrival of Patrick Ling from UBS in Singapore to focus the hedge fund sales.
read more ... >>
Rapid Wealth Management Growth for ICBC
Demand for wealth management products is growing rapidly at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), with revenue from these sales in 2007 topping that of savings deposits.
read more ... >>
MSCI Barra to Launch New Asian Index
MSCI Barra plans to launch a new tradable index for Asia — the MSCI Asia APEX 50 Index — as investor demand for a tradable index based on the MSCI AC Asia ex Japan Index increases.
read more ... >>
Credit Suisse Raids Citi for New Wealth Chief in India
Credit Suisse has hired Puneet Matta as head of wealth management in India, to further internal plans to create an integrated banking platform in what the bank says is one of its most important strategic markets globally.
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SG Hires Head of Structured Credit for Asia
Francois de Supervielle has left NATIXIS to join Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking as its new head of structured credit for Asia.
read more ... >>
SGX Plans New Derivative Products
Singapore Exchange (SGX) is assessing the viability of introducing new financial products such as property derivatives, Asian credit derivatives and carbon trading to facilitate risk management and create more trading opportunities for investors.
read more ... >>
Barclays Offers Commodities Fund to Hong Kong Retail
Barclays Capital is tapping growing appetite for commodities among investors in Hong Kong by offering the first retail index fund linked to a commodity index created by renowned investment expert Jim Rogers.
read more ... >>
ADB Calls for Regulatory Response to Valuations Problem
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is putting more responsibility on regulators to encourage market participants to do much more to make structured credit products more transparent by better valuation and accounting of off-balance sheet instruments.
read more ... >>
Plans Underway for Volatility Index in India
Indian rating agency CRISIL and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) are planning to create a volatility index for the domestic market.
read more ... >>
Indian Regulator Approves New Derivative Products
India's securities regulator is introducing a slew of new derivative products in its effort to expand the onshore market and enable more effective hedging generally.
read more ... >>
Bank of China Offers First Fund for Private Clients
The Bank of China's private banking arm has started offering a fund product to its clients, in a first for the domestic market.
read more ... >>
S&P QDII Indices Offer Wider Offshore Access
Standard & Poor's has launched six new benchmark indices to enable Chinese institutional investors gain more and wider access to overseas equity markets.
read more ... >>
UBS Reshuffles Global Wealth Management
UBS is restructuring the leadership of its international wealth management business with the aim of strengthening its presence in local markets around the world.
read more ... >>
Merrill Hires Alternatives Head for Pacific Rim
Merrill Lynch has hired Brad Schwartz as its head of alternative investments origination and sales for the Pacific Rim.
read more ... >>
Dow Jones Indexes Expands in Asia
Dow Jones Indexes has appointed Sumeet Nihalani as senior director for sales in Asia-Pacific.
read more ... >>
Deutsche Sells Vietnam Equity-linked Note in Japan
Rakuten Securities and Deutsche Securities have begun marketing to Japanese retail investors a yen-denominated note linked to the FTSE Vietnam Index.
read more ... >>
Citi Private Bank Appoints New Hong Kong Chief
Citi Private Bank has appointed Wilson So as global market manager for Hong Kong, the single largest market for the firm outside the US.
read more ... >>
Deutsche Bolsters Derivatives Research in Tokyo
Deutsche Securities is expanding its global markets research department in Tokyo to further enhance its integrated approach to equity research and strategy with macro and relative value analysis.
read more ... >>
ABN AMRO Offers Structured Access to Population Growth
ABN AMRO has launched a structured investment product which aims to capture the growth potential brought about by the rising global population.
read more ... >>
S&P Improves Ratings Approach for Alternatives
Standard & Poor's Fund Services has improved its ratings approach in Australia for alternative structures, saying that it will now assess products via a more granular and qualitative ratings scale to provide extra clarity for investors.
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China Ready for Stock Index Futures
China's securities regulator has said that it has completed system and technical preparations for the launch of its first stock index futures.
read more ... >>
HSBC Trades First Onshore RMB Forward Rate Agreement
HSBC has claimed a market first by trading the first-ever batch of onshore RMB Forward Rate Agreements (FRAs) in China, using the Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate (SHIBOR) as a reference rate.
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Wealthy Investors Eye More Alternatives
Wealthy investors plan to put more money into alternative investments over the next three years in the search for more absolute returns, according to a new report by Barclays Wealth.
read more ... >>
Wealth Management IT Spend to Hit US$28.5 Billion
Spending by financial services firms North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific on technology to enhance their wealth management platforms will reach US$28.5 billion by 2012.
read more ... >>
Australia Launches CFD Platform in World First
The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) will next week become the world's first exchange to launch trading in contracts for difference (CFD).
read more ... >>
Morgan Stanley Appoints Global Head of Wealth Management
Morgan Stanley has named Michael Armstrong as its global head of private wealth management.
read more ... >>
CME and KRX Agree Tie-up
The Korea Exchange (KRX) has entered into an agreement to list KOSPI 200 futures on the e-trading platform of CME Group, the world's largest and most diverse exchange.
read more ... >>
BoA Hires Global Head of Structured Products
Bank of America has appointed George Ellison to replace Chris Hentemann as head of global structured products.
read more ... >>
India Proposes Crackdown on Offshore Derivatives
Eyes will be on India's securities regulator this week as it is expected to make a final decision on how far to restrict the role of foreign intermediaries in India's offshore derivatives market, via participatory notes.
read more ... >>
ISDA Deepens Asia Focus
Reflecting the rapid growth in Asia's derivatives markets, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) has opened a Hong Kong regional office and hired a new head for the region.
read more ... >>
Citi Private Bank Names New Head of Asia Research
Norman Villamin is the new head of research and strategy for Asia-Pacific at Citi Private Bank.
read more ... >>
New Alternatives Sales Chief for HSBC Private Bank
HSBC Private Bank has appointed Patrick Tuohy as global head of sales and marketing for its alternative investment group.
read more ... >>
Macquarie Bank Taps Indian Wealth
Macquarie Bank is acquiring 50 per cent of a wealth management firm which is a subsidiary of Religare Enterprises.
read more ... >>
Citi Loses Top Asian Private Banker to Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank has hired Atul Malik from Citi to become head of private and business clients for Asia at the end of this year.
read more ... >>
Standard Chartered Hires Rates Derivatives Chief
Standard Chartered has hired Nitin Gulabani as global head of interest rate derivatives for wholesale banking.
read more ... >>
China to Allow Trading in Interest Rate Forwards
China's central bank said last week that it would allow trading of interest rate forwards from November 1, as the country takes another step towards liberalising its interest rate.
read more ... >>
Dow Jones Launches Islamic China/Hong Kong Index
Dow Jones Indexes has launched a new index to measure the largest and most liquid Chinese stocks that comply with Islamic investment principles.
read more ... >>
S&P Launches New South-east Asian Index
Standard & Poor’s has launched the S&P Southeast Asia 40 Index to provide diversified, liquid exposure to four rapidly industrialising Asian markets.
read more ... >>
Rabobank Targets Asia's Fund Derivatives Growth
Rabobank is looking to take advantage of the growing appetite for fund derivatives in Asia by setting up a formal group to offer innovative products to clients in the region.
read more ... >>
Schroders Bolsters Asian Private Banking Business
Schroders is boosting its Asian private banking ambitions by acquiring the Singapore-based private client advisory unit of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA).
read more ... >>
New SG Note Offers Flight to Safety
Société Générale has launched a Flight-to-safety Guaranteed Note to give Singapore investors a fixed income exposure amid a volatile and uncertain market environment.
read more ... >>
Zurich Targets Riches in Taiwan
Zurich Financial Sevices' offshore arm is planning to sell wealth management products to mass affluent individuals in Taiwan.
read more ... >>
JPMorgan Bolsters China Business
JPMorgan has received approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) to set up an onshore joint venture to provide futures execution and clearing services.
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SG Expands Asian Private Banking into China
Societe Generale will increase its private banking reach in Asia by launching operations in Shanghai this month.
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