Bank of Singapore’s investment advisory unit reported a 40% revenue surge last year, driven by a pivot into AI-themed structured products, gold momentum and a timely bet on Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bonds. “The first month of this year has been fantastic, and we are also investing a lot into our processes and products. We can see those investments are […]

The post Bank of Singapore investment advisory revenue jumps 40% appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Dubai-headquartered Klay plans to hire up to 120 staff in Singapore by 2030 to drive an advisory-led expansion that rejects the industry’s standard retrocession fee model. Over the last 13 years, the firm has focused on internal development, establishing platforms, proprietary technology, systems, and product offerings, according to Kalpesh Khakhria, co-founder and group chairman at Klay. “Now is the time […]

The post Klay targets top private banking talent to fuel advisory-led Singapore expansion appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

This is a sponsored article from Endowus. Endowus is leading innovation to bring private market investments to a wider pool of investors in Hong Kong and Singapore. Just half a decade ago, private wealth solutions were exclusively available only to the ultra wealthy, those with investable assets of US$5 million or more, and large institutions such as family offices, sovereign […]

The post Bridging the gap: Elevating standards in private wealth appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

When it comes to discretionary portfolio management (DPM), Leo Wealth is truly putting its money where its mouth is. The US-based independent asset manager (IAM) does not provide any form of advisory services because it is a “strong believer” in DPM, according to CIO Harmen Overdijk. “Why do we believe in DPM? Because we believe we can be much more […]

The post “We don’t believe in advisory”: Why Leo Wealth puts DPM at its core appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

The former global co-head of advisory and investment solutions at Deutsche Bank Wealth Management has resurfaced at HSBC, Asian Private Banker has learnt. Tan Wei Mei has been appointed as the global and Asia head of advisory at HSBC to steer the creation of a unified advisory proposition globally across the wealth continuum at the bank, according to an update […]

The post Former Deutsche Bank WM advisory head resurfaces at HSBC appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Geneva-headquartered Union Bancaire Privée (UBP) has made two appointments in Singapore, highlighting its commitment to grow the business across Asia. Jasmine Er joins the Singapore team as market head, key clients for South Asia. Er has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry as a senior wealth management practitioner. She will report directly to Ranjit Khanna, head of South […]

The post UBP adds two to Singapore team appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Union Bancaire Privée (UBP) has added to its senior ranks in North Asia with a trio of recent appointments, Asian Private Banker can reveal. Frankie Tong has joined the pure-play as head of investment consultants, North Asia, while Gigi Liu and Connie Chan have been named senior relationship managers based in Hong Kong. Tong was previously with Deutsche Bank Wealth […]

The post UBP adds trio of senior bankers in Hong Kong amid advisory, discretionary drive appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Julius Baer’s Digital Advisory Suite (DiAS) has gone live in Asia, with Rajesh Manwani, the bank’s head of markets and advisory solutions in the region, telling Asian Private Banker that the system essentially “repurposes” the entire advisory process and streamlines the workflows of RMs. “There are three ways in which DiAS makes an impact,” Manwani explained. “First, DiAS offers customised […]

The post Julius Baer’s digi advisory suite “repurposes” advisory process in Asia: Rajesh Manwani appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Asia’s HNWIs are looking beyond the usual private banks’ advisory offerings of the last decade. A greater degree of transparency and wider breadth of service are the ‘new normals’ that justify fees. As a result, many banks are now required to provide both buyside and sellside capabilities. “Wealth managers such as ourselves are increasingly straddling that line between the buyside […]

The post WMs straddle the line between buyside and sellside as clients have higher advisory expectations appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Regulatory efforts and novel market realities have pushed India’s wealth businesses to the advisory front, yet for individual firms in a crowded space it remains a challenge to differentiate their value proposition. Mitesh Shah, co-founder and CEO of Credence Family Office, pointed out to Asian Private Banker that the advisory model was put into focus by the 2008 financial crisis, […]

The post Too many so-called advisors have limited experience and qualifications: India’s Credence FO appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Mumbai-based Avendus Wealth Management aspires to be a trusted advisor to the key families in India and stays committed to its advisory style. Its newly appointed CEO, Nitin Singh, told Asian Private Banker that the firm is ready to meet the clients’ rising demand for value-added advisory. The KKR-backed firm now has capabilities across investment banking, asset management, and wealth […]

The post The fee-based advisory model is here to stay: Singh of Avendus appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

UBS Global Wealth Management has recorded a 23% year-on-year increase in mandate assets in Asia on the back of record net inflows this year. The intake includes significant flows into two of the bank’s flagship solutions — a sustainable investment (SI) cross-asset portfolio whose AUM now tops US$8 billion globally — and its Systematic Allocation Portfolio (SAP), which has US$35 […]

The post UBS GWM mandate assets jump 23% in Asia, SI mandate tops US$8bn globally appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Swiss pure play EFG International will open an advisory office in Dubai, expanding its presence in the Middle East as part of its growth strategy. Located in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the new EFG office expects to offer enhanced services to the region’s HNWI clients while enjoying exposure to a local market with long-term growth potential. The advisory […]

The post EFG launches Dubai advisory office appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Private banks should make clients aware of the differences between execution-only and advisory services in order to justify different pricing strategies and boost the uptake of advisory in Asia, according to a whitepaper published by management consulting firm Synpulse. In response to the ban of retrocessions and increase of regulatory burdens in carrying out execution-only transactions imposed by European regulators […]

The post PBs must “clearly differentiate” execution-only and advisory services to spur advisory uptake in Asia: Synpulse appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

In a bid to improve RM efficiency, offer more convenience to clients, and stay ahead of technological disruption, Asia’s private banks have increasingly relied on and invested in their digital capabilities and solutions. In July, Asian Private Banker distributed its 2019 Mid-Year Private Banking Technology Snapshot Survey in the region to gain a clearer, aggregated understanding of where firms stand […]

The post Work in progress: The digitalisation journey so far for Asia’s private banks appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

UBS Global Wealth Management’s China international clients are increasingly turning to the bank’s advisory mandates in what is a clear sign their investment approach has evolved in recent years. While the bank did not provide sales or inflow figures, LH Koh, UBS GWM’s head of China International, told Asian Private Banker that over the past three years, it has doubled […]

The post UBS GWM: Demand for advisory mandates rising among China international clients appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

UBS Global Wealth Management will add a new tier to its advisory offering next month on the back of growing client demand for pay-for-advice services in the region. The tier targets clients who trade less frequently but are looking to benefit from UBS’s risk management framework, according to Jean-Claude Humair, UBS GWM’s head of IPS, APAC. “[With this new tier], […]

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With doggedly tempestuous markets bruising much of 2018, the region’s wealth managers were impelled to react rapidly and with conviction for both the bottom line and for clients. As 2019 approaches, Asian Private Banker reviews the top five investment trends that defined the Year of the Dog for the industry. 1. Equity repositioning Despite robust fundamentals, equity markets in 2018 […]

The post Key investment trends in 2018 appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Standard Chartered Private Bank has appointed a former director at HSBC Private Banking as its new director of managed investments distribution for Hong Kong. Tracy Chan has joined Standard Chartered PB as director of managed investments distribution for Hong Kong. In her new role, Chan will advise relationship managers, investment advisors, and clients on the lender’s managed investment solutions. She […]

The post StanChart PB nabs HSBC PB’s former funds and ETFs director appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Bank of Singapore’s Hong Kong head of equities advisory has tendered his resignation, Asian Private Banker can reveal. Henry Hui, the Singaporean bank’s head of equities advisory, Hong Kong, has resigned after joining the bank three years ago as a trading advisory and product development team lead. Previously, he had worked for the likes of UBS, Citi, and Crédit Agricole […]

The post BoS loses Hong Kong head of equities advisory appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

UBP has expanded its advisory proposition in Asia with its ‘Premium Advisory’ offering in an effort to take an “early lead” in an industry set on furthering the alignment of its interests with those of its clients. The ‘Premium Advisory’ offering relies on systems and processes to notify relationship managers to provide advice — including new investment ideas, switching of […]

The post UBP’s ‘Premium Advisory’ mandate in Asia sees “growing adoption” appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

An alarming fifty percent of robo-advisory firms in Asia – surveyed by education firm, Kaplan – failed a ‘portfolio construction maturity’ evaluation, according to a white paper published by the education company. According to Elena Okhonko, author of the paper and a Singapore-based financial advisor, the eight (out of a surveyed 16) robo-advisors that did not pass the test were […]

The post 50% of robo-advisors surveyed did not pass ‘portfolio construction maturity’ test appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Asian Private Banker’s monthly In Demand series takes a close look at the hiring trends of the moment by speaking with headhunters, professionals within the private banking industry and independent sources about what they are seeing from their vantage points. This month’s top seven trends are as follows: Compliance hunt continues Sid Sibal, financial services manager at Hudson Hong Kong, […]

The post In Demand: August’s hiring trends appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

As many as 38% of Hong Kong’s HNWIs plan to hold more cash in light of market uncertainty, according to UBS’ Investor Watch report, though the bank urges clients to avoid high cash allocations since global inflation is trending upwards. “In the current environment, holding [excessive] cash is perhaps not a good idea,” Louisa Fok, equity analyst at UBS Wealth […]

The post UBS WM says Hong Kong’s HNWIs should be cautious about raising cash allocations appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) is holding consultations about the proposed guidelines on online distribution and advisory platforms, with much of the discussion revolving around client suitability requirements. The SFC proposes new scenarios that will trigger suitability requirements, based on whether investment products available online are considered ‘complex’. Asian Private Banker speaks to Clifford Chance consultant Helen Fok, […]

The post SFC’s proposed suitability requirements for online platforms will be “difficult” to meet, says law firm appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

A newly launched multi-manager platform from Standard Chartered and FundRock will provide asset managers with an expedited option to leverage the UCITS standard. The Luxembourg “Straight2UCITS” platform aims to help non-western asset managers launch, operate and distribute their products as dedicated UCITS sub-funds in a time and cost-efficient manner within a robust risk and compliance control environment. “Whilst a UCITS […]

The post New multi-manager platform to ease non-Western fund access to UCITS distribution appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Amidst ongoing market hostility, BNP Paribas Wealth Management in Asia is recommending that clients add exposure to hedge fund strategies combined with credit-linked notes (CLNs), so as to better manage portfolio volatility and minimise correlations to traditional assets. The French wealth manager is advising clients, where suitable, to pick up exposure across a range of long-short equity strategies – the […]

The post BNP Paribas WM recommends long-short strat with CLN appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Cognisant that this is the year to time markets to move in and out to generate meaningful total return, Credit Suisse is launching a tactical fund recommendation list in the region, with a focus on the short-term trading elements of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). “[The list] mainly consists of ETFs,” says Rodolphe Larqué, Asia Pacific head of funds and ETFs at Credit […]

The post Credit Suisse launched tactical fund list in Asia appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Weak growth and diverging monetary policies to set the stage for fixed income operations this year, experts tell Asian Private Banker. (This article first appeared in Issue 96 of Asian Private Banker’s monthly print magazine, published in the first week of February 2016.) Leveraging is set to be a thing of the past, risk control will take priority, and the fixed income business may […]

The post Fixed income to stay elusive in 2016 appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

The UK wealth management firm has acquired AAM Advisory as part of Old Mutual Wealth’s plan to expand its distribution channels in Asia. AAM Advisory is understood to be the largest expatriate adviser in Singapore, with more than 30 advisers on board. It will continue to operate alongside other distribution channels of Old Mutual Wealth, such as Old Mutual International […]

The post Old Mutual Wealth buys Singaporean advisory services firm appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Nine years after joining LGT’s Asia business in Singapore, the head of investment advisory for the South Asia unit has exited. When contacted, a spokesperson for the bank declined to comment. Simon Grose-Hodge leaves the bank after first joining in 2007. Prior to his latest role, he was a market editor for Bloomberg News in Singapore. He has more than […]

The post LGT’s South Asia advisory head exits appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

As oil prices may be bottoming out, smart solutions are available that “can be tailored to express and capture such particular market views”, says the head of investment services in Asia for BNP Paribas Wealth Management (WM). Oil prices have been on the slide since 2014, with Brent, in particular, at its 13-year low, Arnaud Tellier tells Asian Private Banker, […]

The post Volatile oil market calls for yields enhanced products, says BNP Paribas WM appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Sensing a widening sweet spot between discretionary and client-directed investing, particularly against traditional hands-on tendencies of Asian HNWIs, Swiss pure play EFG tells Asian Private Banker that it is aiming to push out a new advisory mandate in the region. “One of the ways to make up for lost revenue should trailer fees be abolished is to grow flat-fee business, keeping in […]

The post EFG eyes launch of new active advisory offering in Asia appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

While the recent global markets volatility, yuan depreciation and US Federal Reserve rate hike conundrum continue to cast deep shadows over private banking portfolios, top private bankers say clients are now shrugging off initial fears and turning to alternative investments. “It’s been a summer sale for clients as this is a buying opportunity in the markets despite the huge focus on the Fed […]

The post HNWIs eyeing “summer sale” buying in alternatives appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Contrary to popular opinion, a recent study reveals that more than 60% of Asian HNWIs are in fact willing to pay for advice, with a key factor being advisers’ real understanding of financial goals. This was agreed by 40% of HNW respondents in the region as the most influential motivation to drive willingness to pay for advice, ranking second only […]

The post Asian HNWIs ready to pay for goal-oriented advice appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

The wealth management universe has worked long and hard in recent years to convince clients on the benefits of diversification and delegation. Unsurprisingly, results vary widely. A study into the region’s private banking portfolios reveals three common types of HNW investors: the Credit Addict, the Fence Sitter and the Fortified. (This article first appeared in Issue 91 of Asian Private […]

The post A pre-hike diagnosis of Asian HNW idiosyncracies appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

UBS wants its automated advisory platform UBS Advice to set the benchmark on customising scalable advice, so that clients get a more fluid and tailor-made service. “Everyone can claim that they are capable of customising portfolios but how many really can?” asks Chang Linyun, head of strategic investment Taiwan, UBS Wealth Management. “Many of our competitors can probably build a bespoke […]

The post Digitally scalable customisation “not easily replicable”, says UBS appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

UBS rolled out its new flat-fee portfolio screening system in Taiwan yesterday on the back of expectations that it could help grow AUMs managed by the digital advisory solution by 14%. “UBS sees huge potential in the wealth management industry in Asia Pacific and Taiwan, and is well positioned to benefit from the growth,” said Edmund Koh, group managing director […]

The post UBS Advice raised US$22 billion in two years, Taiwan launch could add 14% in assets appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Over the last two years, high net worth individuals (HNWIs) in Asia are growing more sophisticated in their knowledge of structured products, opting for notes with varied payoffs – non-flow products – in addition to plain vanilla structures, Calvin Yeap, head of equity derivatives trading, Singapore at DBS Bank says. “We have definitely seen investors become more comfortable dealing in […]

The post Investors look for equity-linked structured notes with varied payoffs appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Asian Private Banker asks gatekeepers at some of the region’s top private banks how prepared Asian HNWIs are for a rate hike by the US Federal Reserve, predicted to be announced in the last quarter of this year. Many private banks are preparing clients for a quarter percent rise in interest rates in the last quarter of this year and […]

The post Who’s afraid of a rate hike? appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Clients at BNP Paribas Wealth Management’s Asia unit participated heavily in Hong Kong and China equities, making up 50% of net new investments year-to-date at the French private bank. Since November 2014, the Shanghai Composite Index and the H-Share Index surged 100% and 40%, respectively, as investors were fuelled by optimistic prospects of loosening monetary policy and financial reform. “For […]

The post BNP Paribas Wealth Management: 50% of net new investments made in Hong Kong and China appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Bond markets have been grabbing headlines recently due to unprecedented negative yields, followed by sell-offs in Europe at the beginning of May. Despite the sell-off and the resulting return to positive yield territory, private bankers do not see the current climate as being an anomaly, but rather a sign of things to come. “The current situation of low to negative […]

The post Bonds in choppy waters appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

The third PBOC interest rate cut in   six months – this time by 25 basis points – has led to investors locking in profits, says a Hong Kong head of investments at a private bank. “After the strong rally which took place over the past few weeks after Easter, people may have been worried about whether the momentum could continue or […]

The post Investors lock in profits as PBOC cuts rates again appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

European equity, Mid-and small cap funds: Clients are still adding to European equity positions since the European Central Bank finally adopted all-out Quantitative Easing. This is often in the form of a rotation away from US equity, where the current earnings season adds to valuation concerns. Higher risk-tolerance clients are looking at specific markets such as Spain and Italy, which both […]

The post What's selling at private banks appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Global investors may be bracing for the consequences of the US Federal Reserve’s imminent decision to increase interest rates, but Asian HNWIs are less concerned, believing the consequences of a Fed hike remain minor. They may have moderated their appetite for fixed-income investing but not reined it in completely. “The pending decision for the Federal Reserve to increase rates hasn’t […]

The post Fed hike? What Fed hike? appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

High net worth investors are opting to allocate more than half their alternative investment portfolio to private equity despite its illiquid nature, according to those overseeing alternative investments within private banks in the region. “We advise those clients with a suitable risk appetite to allocate up to 20% of their portfolios to alternative investments, out of which private equity accounts […]

The post HNWIs opt for private equity appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

CNH-related products   We see some clients beginning to invest in structured products on selected Chinese and Japanese stocks, for example in financial and real estate sectors. Recently we have also seen a lot of demand for CNH-related products. From a fixed income perspective, Asian credit was fairly positive as markets largely shrugged off the news from Greece, although flows […]

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European financials-linked notes Following the ECB’s recent decision to embark upon quantitative easing, we have upgraded our view on European equities to overweight.  Having seen the effect of QE on the US financial sector, we believe European QE could be a similar catalyst to drive performance in European financials.  One product that has been popular for yield enhancement and exploits […]

The post Structured product play of the week appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Despite an industry-wide push to focus on advisory business and building recurring income, private banking clients remain little exposed to mutual funds with the majority of players seeing just single-digit levels of penetration. “With waning prospects in bond investments, high hurdles in structured products sales and a general lack of market confidence, you would think that more private clients would […]

The post Industry’s advisory push leads to ho-hum mutual fund penetration appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

ELNs and Property sector bonds PB clients are buying ELNs and bullish notes linked to HK/China equities. We are positive on China’s rate cut and expect potential further monetary easing by PBoC. Clients are also active in buying China property sector high yield bonds as Mainland property sector is the major beneficiary of the rate cut. Belle Liang, head of […]

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Autocallable Kick In Reverse Convertible Note and 5 year Perles Plus notes linked to the S&P 500 Index Following the recent announcement, the market is focused on trade ideas around the upcoming launch of Hong Kong Shanghai Stock Connect.  Clients are interested in dual listed stocks which are trading at a discount to their A-share counterparts as well as ETFs […]

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Equity funds We’re seeing opportunistic buying of equity and equity-linked products in Hong Kong while equity funds of large cap stocks in Japan and Europe are selling too. With global macro uncertainty, there has also been interest in fixed income product again, primarily from our US-dollar based investors. Alfred Mak, head of investment products and advisory department, wealth management division, […]

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Autocallable kick-in reverse convertible notes and outperformance notes Of our flow products, we have seen increasing demand of late for ‘Autocallable Kick-in Reverse Convertible Note’ structures.  Typically our clients are executing these over three to six month tenors and against a range of underlying equities, with technology related plays proving the most popular following the recent IPO of Alibaba. The […]

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Mutual funds and hedge funds Over the past 12 to 18 months, Asian clients have started shifting away from a brokerage-oriented approach and are moving towards the higher value-added services of portfolio advisory. The solutions in highest demand are collective investment vehicles such as mutual funds and hedge funds that allow clients to access best-in-class asset managers, as well as […]

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ETF-linked note “Investors have been looking for exposure into Asian emerging market equities, especially into some of the ASEAN economies. Our clients are looking at principal protected notes linked to ETFs that are invested into ASEAN as well as China. ASEAN [equities are attractive] because headwinds such as elections and inflation are no longer key issues and China remains cheap.” Ron Lee, managing director, head of […]

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Asian Private Banker takes a look at what’s selling at the region’s private banks. Join Nomura’s Bill Tsang, and Rocky Cheung of DBS Private Bank. Chinese and US equities As the recent Asian markets rebound, we see some clients begin to invest in structure products on some Chinese and HK stocks especially in property, automobiles and integrated oils sectors. US […]

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ELNs linked to A50 ETF Our clients are gaining more confidence in the strength of the A-share market as we approach the launch of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect programme. In addition to investing into the A50 ETF in anticipation of a rise in price amongst A-shares that are cheaper than their H-share counterpart, clients have also invested into equity-linked […]

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ELNs and fixed coupon notes linked to H-shares Our clients continue to invest into equity-linked notes (ELNs) and fixed coupon notes in anticipation of the upcoming Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect programme. On ELNs and stocks, our clients are primarily investing in either well-known companies that are only listed in the H-share market or H-shares that are trading at a discount […]

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Structured Products linked to Hong Kong and China equities in the banking and gaming sector As the Hong Kong and China markets have improved, we have been very active in the structured products business in Asia. Clients are buying into fixed coupon notes as well as accumulators and decummulators linked to HK/Chinese equities in the banking, gaming and properties as […]

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EM equity funds and ETFs Clients are starting show interest in making diversified investments in Hong Kong, China and other emerging market equities. Though some have been investing directly, there is increased interest in funds and ETFs. Alfred Mak, head of investment products and advisory department, wealth management division, Banks of East Asia   European funds There are many global […]

The post What's selling at private banks? appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Credit-linked structured products We see a lot of traction on notes issued by Special Purpose Vehicles where we repack fixed income securities the client is comfortable with in term of credit risk and tailor the payoff matching the client’s view. We trade significant volumes in Chinese banks CD repack with digital coupon linked to FX or repack of bonds into […]

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Basket ELNs Year-to-date, markets in the region have been flat and our investors have been comfortable with rolling over on investments in basket equity-linked notes (ELNs). In Hong Kong, our clients have been investing into a baskets of two or three stocks, mostly in tech the financial sector where coupons can reach from 8% to double-digit. Interestingly, clients have also […]

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Asian Private Banker takes a look at the products currently selling at the region’s private banks. Join Bank of East Asia’s Alfred Mak, EFG’s Harmen Overdijk and Barclays’ Will Wang. Fixed income products and funds At the moment, market sentiment is quiet especially ahead of the upcoming World Cup event. We’re seeing a lot of interest in fixed income products and […]

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Solutions linked to “BNP Paribas Platinum 5 USD Excess Return Index” Investing in market neutral strategies has become a popular way to diversify away from the stock market. The objective of those strategies is to generate performance in a variety of market conditions thanks to different investment concepts. The current financial markets have been in a sideways consolidation phase for […]

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Asian Private Banker takes a look at the products currently selling at the region’s private banks. Join Crédit Agricole Private Banking’s Dong Sinh Ngo, DBS Private Bank’s Rocky Cheung and Hang Seng Private Bank’s Belle Liang. Fixed coupon notes We are seeing interest in fixed coupon notes as we believe the China market looks promising at the current levels. Investors seem to be cautious on global equity because of the current […]

The post What's selling at private banks? appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Asian Private Banker takes a look at the products currently selling at the region’s private banks. Join BNP Paribas Wealth Management’s Stephanie Lair and Barclays’ Will Wang. Equity with downside protection and ‘Daily Express Note’ We still generally prefer equities to other asset classes and have been giving suggestions to our clients to rotate their portfolio allocation to overweight equity. We have kept a […]

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In a bid to be the first in the private banking industry to implement an overnight portfolio-monitoring system, UBS Wealth Management is launching a new advisory model in Hong Kong and Singapore – one with a flat fee. Previously only available to institutional clients in parts of Europe, the new advisory offering, called UBS Advice, aims to give UBS’ Asian […]

The post UBS Wealth Management rolls out flat fee advisory model for Asian clients appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

WTI crude oil-linked note Crude oil linked-notes are in good demand because of their short tenor, monthly auto-callability and unconditional coupon. Structured products are a good way for private banking clients to gain access to the energy sector. In 2012, WTI prices have been volatile moving from over US$100 in the early part of the year to the lowest point of US$77 in June, then back […]

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Clients of a large European bank were bewildered when two different sets of advisors from the same bank offered conflicting “house views” on the same asset class. A Hong Kong-based head of advisory at a private bank who once worked with the bank in question acknowledges that this is not an unlikely scenario. “We would have conversations regarding the views […]

The post Heard on the street: Sometimes, the house bets against the house appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

“From experience, family offices are approaching private banks with a shopper’s mentality, asking for the best product on the shelf,” says a senior advisor from a Hong Kong-based European bank, clearly puzzled by discussions he has on product-specific interest. “But they are disregarding how the product might affect the portfolio’s overall risk,” he adds. Having shown little faith in the […]

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Hybrid Structures Since interest rates are really low, there is not much pick up from regular products. While there is investment need and risk appetite, we have been focusing on simple hybrid structures which have got a favorable response. These hybrids use a combination of views; such as interest rates combined with foreign exchange or credit for example. This helps […]

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“Structured products are not a premium product right now,” says Belle Liang, director and head of investment advisory at Hang Seng Investment in what could well be the understatement of the year. The majority of structured product specialists and advisors across private banks fear volumes have fallen as much as 80% from the peaks of 2007. Even more alarming – […]

The post Structured products: a struggle to survive? appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

“Clients want long-term views of 12 to 36 months but with the policy-driven markets we are experiencing now, outlooks of three to six months are a more realistic timeframe,” says a head of an advisory in a Hong Kong-based private bank, echoing the sentiments of a number of his peers in Asia who are trying to navigate clients through treacherous […]

The post Tables turn as private banks ask clients to take a transactional approach appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Joining the growing tribe of private banks in Asia who are trying to woo External Asset Managers/ Independent Asset Managers, Barclays has set up an Independent Asset Managers (IAM) team in Singapore.  Cedric Lizin has been appointed  head of this segment and he is joined by two senior bankers from Credit Suisse with considerable experience in this space. Annabelle Chow […]

The post Barclays declares ambitions for IAM space, hires Credit Suisse’s team head and deputy team head to form its own team in Singapore appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

The shift in Asian wealth and private banking propositions from retail to investment products is considered among the top key trends in the private banking business as high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) are increasingly looking for more sophisticated solutions to grow their wealth, according Ed Lopez, executive vice-president of SunGard’s wealth and private banking business in Asia. Other changes in the market […]

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