With the year of the snake approaching, competition between private banks in Asia is hotting up when it comes to who can distribute the most dazzling red packets to clients. These envelopes – known as laisee or hongbao – are traditionally given to family members and friends. However, they can also be highly sought-after collectors’ items and fetch a premium on online marketplaces.
In Chinese culture, snakes symbolise intelligence, cunning, and the ability to make quick decisions – all essential traits for a successful private banking CEO. However, they can also represent transformation and renewal – an appropriate theme given the start of a new, Donald Trump presidency in the US and the appointment of several new regional leaders to private banks.
Here, APB showcases some of the finest custom red packet designs from Asia Pacific’s private banks and wealth and asset managers.
Again, we believe that APB’s readers should judge which design is the best. While Julius Baer won the poll last year with 31% of the votes, cast your vote below for which you think is best. We will announce the winning submission shortly after the Chinese New Year. Gung hei faat choi!
Which institution offers the best red packets for the year of the snake?
- Julius Baer (38%)
- DBS Private Bank (26%)
- Bank of Singapore (10%)
- HSBC (8%)
- UBS (4%)
- Morgan Stanley (2%)
- EFG Bank (2%)
- WRISE (2%)
- HSBC Global Private Banking (2%)
- Standard Chartered Global Private Bank (1%)
- StashAway (1%)
- UBP (1%)
- J. Safra Sarasin (1%)
- J.P. Morgan Private Bank (1%)
- Barclays Private Bank (0%)
- UOB (0%)
- Janus Henderson (0%)
- BNP Paribas (0%)
- Citi Private Bank (0%)
- Indosuez Wealth Management (0%)
- Fidelity (0%)
- Pictet (0%)
- PGIM (0%)
- J.P. Morgan Asset Management (0%)
- BlackRock (0%)
- CTBC (0%)
- KGI (0%)
- Prudential (0%)

UBS
HSBC Global Private Banking
HSBC 160th anniversary edition
DBS Private Bank
J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Morgan Stanley
Julius Baer
Standard Chartered Global Private Bank
UOB
BNP Paribas
Pictet
UBP
J. Safra Sarasin
Indosuez Wealth Management
Barclays Private Bank
CTBC
BlackRock
Nomura
Fidelity
PGIM
KGI
Endowus