Bank of Singapore has expanded the remit of its chief investment officer (CIO) amid a broader change to its leadership structure, Asian Private Banker has learnt. In addition to her current responsibilities as global CIO, Jean Chia will assume the interim role of global head of investment & wealth solutions, a new pillar that integrates the bank’s investment solutions group with […]

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Bank of Singapore said its discretionary portfolio management (DPM) assets grew nearly 20% year-on-year in 2025, driven by a surge in mandates focused on Singapore’s domestic markets. These mandates typically allocate between 40% and 95% to Singapore equities, with the remainder invested in Singapore dollar-denominated bonds and cash, the bank announced on Wednesday. Investor appetite for Singapore-focused mandates has been […]

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Private banking CIOs from Bank of Singapore, Lombard Odier and HSBC reveal their strategies going into 2026. Among the more popular calls are Asia, gold, and the broader AI ecosystem, betting on a Fed-driven weakening of the US dollar to fuel a rotation into faster-growing emerging markets.  While CIOs generally expect the US to avoid a recession, as a base […]

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When Jean Chia took the reins as Bank of Singapore’s fourth CIO, she didn’t just inherit a strong investment platform; she saw an opportunity to transform it into the engine room of the bank’s future growth. Having spent more than a decade at Bank of Singapore, Chia, the global CIO, began her journey by heading the equities and derivatives business. […]

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Bank of Singapore has strengthened its CIO global advisory council with four heavyweight additions, reinforcing its push to deliver sharper investment insights and thought leadership to its clients. The latest members include Joseph Zidle, chief investment strategist at Blackstone Private Wealth, and Torsten Slok, chief economist and partner at Apollo Global Management. Joining them are Guo Kai, executive president and […]

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While stock markets around the world have continued to sell-off following US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs against a multitude of trade partners, Bank of Singapore’s global CIO Jean Chia believes that there may be better days ahead. Asian stock markets extended losses on Wednesday after Trump imposed a staggering 104% tariff on Chinese imports, inching the world’s two largest […]

The post Bank of Singapore CIO: How to bulletproof your portfolio during trade war appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

In 2024, Bank of Singapore set out to redefine its investment approach with the launch of CIO 2.0, a strategy focused on strengthening portfolio management. A key component is its adoption of BlackRock’s Aladdin platform, which enhances transparency, risk management, and the overall client experience. Asian Private Banker spoke with the bank’s global CIO Jean Chia and James Verner, head […]

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Donald Trump has barely been US president for 48 hours, but the global economy could be in for a tumultuous four years if his actions so far are anything to go by, with the new leader of the world’s biggest economy threatening tariffs against trade partners ranging from Canada to China. Asian Private Banker spoke to three global CIOs for […]

The post What StanChart, Bank of Singapore, VP Bank CIOs are watching as Trump threatens tariffs appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Bank of Singapore is expecting S-REITs to experience robust growth due to lower borrowing costs and improved liquidity, with technological advancements and ESG considerations offering potential long-term benefits. Since the start of 2020, the FTSE ST All-Share Real Estate Investment Trusts Index (FSTREI) has underperformed both the Straits Times Index (STI) and the MSCI Singapore Index due to inflation, high […]

The post Are S-REITS poised for a comeback? Bank of Singapore thinks so appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Jean Chia believes that Bank of Singapore is on track to offer wealthy clients a chief investment office (CIO) experience unlike any other, blending top-tier investment expertise from both asset and wealth management – a distinction she finds unique to the bank and within the region. The Singapore private bank, which manages about US$116 billion, has a “CIO 2.0 strategy […]

The post “We’re writing our own story”: Jean Chia’s CIO 2.0 vision for BOS appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Asia’s private banks remain bullish on India in the long term despite volatility in shares and bonds sparked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise failure to secure a parliamentary majority. Modi, of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is set to be India’s Prime Minister for a third term after a tight election in which the party fell short of […]

The post Modi 3.0: Private banks still bullish on India despite surprise election result appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Interest rates, China and sustainability are among the topics that will be top of mind for private bankers in the region next year, according to leading CEOs who took part in Asian Private Banker’s Final Word 2023. The year in review project, which collects the insights and views of private banking and wealth management leaders, covers trends ranging from investments, […]

The post Final Word 2023: What is keeping private bank CEOs up at night? appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

While the markets are still full of uncertainties, with clients favouring lower-risk assets, fund selectors at private banks in Asia believe now is the time for clients to start increasing their exposure to equities and alternatives, but while avoiding concentration risks. This is according to the views shared by panellists at the APB Intensive webinar on Thursday, a high-powered virtual […]

The post APB Intensive 7.0: Fund selectors believe now is the time to increase risk appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Welcome to Asian Private Banker‘s Final Word 2022. This year-in-review feature collects the insights and views of private banking and wealth management leaders from across the regional industry. As well as assessing 2022’s top trends – from investments, to products, to technology – it also provides an opportunity for top CEOs, COOs and investment heads to lay out their predictions […]

The post Final Word 2022: What’s in store for 2023? UBS, Credit Suisse, HSBC and other industry leaders have their say appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Has ESG investing been compromised by the recent underperformance of ESG funds? And what are the top three critical factors Bank of Singapore examines when choosing ESG funds? Jean Chia, CIO and head of portfolio management and research office, shares her insights with Asian Private Banker. “We are getting more sophisticated in terms of the funds in which we invest,” […]

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Bank of Singapore recorded double digit growth in discretionary portfolio management (DPM) assets between 2020 and 2021, mainly on account of higher client engagement and improved adoption rates from relationship managers. Strong market conditions too lent a hand in heightening awareness of managed investments. In addition, the stable track record of DPM performances has inspired client confidence in the offering, […]

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For International Women’s Day, three female private bank CIOs share with Asian Private Banker how their path to becoming CIO was built on experience and a conviction that they needed to change and adapt. Experience matters more than gender: Jean Chia of Bank of Singapore To Chia, Bank of Singapore CIO, and head of portfolio management & research office, her […]

The post “Experience, not gender, defines how you take on challenges”: Three female CIOs on their rise to the top appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

Bank of Singapore is boosting its equities coverage in China and Hong Kong through a new partnership with Haitong International, a stock brokerage firm and investment bank based in Hong Kong. This is the first time Haitong has provided its research service to a private bank, and “with this landmark partnership, the Bank of Singapore’s coverage of Hong Kong and […]

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The appetite for systematic factor investing has kept growing over the past few years, especially within the DPM business in Asia’s private banking industry. “We have seen interest in factor investing increase materially in Asia in recent years, as market providers have demonstrated the virtue of smart beta strategies for cost-conscious investors,” Jean Chia, head of portfolio management and research […]

The post Demand for factor investing increases “materially” in Asian HNWIs appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

A spike in COVID-19 cases in Europe and the US may have taken their toll on stocks globally, but the Bank of Singapore remains bullish on equity markets. Speaking at “The Next Inflection Point,” flagship wealth conference of the Bank of Singapore and OCBC Premier Private Client, executives said any dips in prices should be seen as opportunities to invest. […]

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Bank of Singapore has picked its new chief economist from NatWest Markets, the investment arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland. Mansoor Mohi-uddin has been appointed as chief economist, subject to regulatory approval, according to a Bank of Singapore announcement on Wednesday. He will be reporting to Jean Chia, head of portfolio management and research office. Mohi-uddin will be responsible […]

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