Howden has appointed Alaric Lee as chief executive officer for Hong Kong, succeeding Alfred Sham, who will relocate to Singapore as chief strategy officer for Asia, the global insurance intermediary group said. The Howden Hong Kong CEO appointment remains subject to regulatory approval. Lee currently serves as chief commercial officer for Asia and brings extensive industry experience including more than a decade working in Hong Kong’s insurance sector. Sham led Howden’s Hong

More than 80% of surveyed enterprises plan to adopt artificial intelligence either immediately or within the next 12 months as companies accelerate the shift from pilot projects towards large-scale deployment, according to Cherrypicks. The Hong Kong AI adoption trend reflects rising demand for automation, process intelligence and human-machine collaboration across corporate operations. The Hong Kong-based technology company, a unit of NetDragon Websoft, said firms are increas

Macau has issued its first fund investment licence under its new Investment Fund Law to HOPU Investments, allowing the Beijing-based alternative investment firm to establish an asset management unit in the city. The Macau fund licence approval comes nearly five months after the law took effect on Jan. 1, introducing a new framework for private funds and structures including collective investment companies and limited partnership funds. Before the legislation, asset management

Bhutan and Singapore have signed a double tax avoidance agreement aimed at strengthening investment, trade and economic cooperation while supporting Bhutan’s ambitions to develop Gelephu Mindfulness City into a regional business and family office hub. The Bhutan Singapore tax pact was signed in Singapore by Bhutan Finance Minister Lekey Dorji and Singapore official Jeffrey Siow. The agreement is Bhutan’s third bilateral tax treaty and is expected to clarify taxing rights on c

Hong Kong ranked among the world’s least complex jurisdictions for doing business, according to TMF Group’s latest Global Business Complexity Index, reinforcing the city’s appeal for multinational companies, investors and family offices seeking efficient regional operating hubs. The Hong Kong business environment ranked 78th out of 81 jurisdictions assessed in the report, placing it among the bottom 10 for business complexity alongside New Zealand, Denmark, Jersey and the Cay

Singapore will reappoint Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong as chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore for another three-year term from June 1, reinforcing continuity at the city-state’s central bank and financial regulator. The MAS chairman reappointment announcement also confirmed that managing director Chia Der Jiun will continue as a board member for a further two years. Attorney-General Lucien Wong will also serve another three-year term, while Chaly Mah, chairma

LGT has appointed Anchalee Bunsongsikul as chief executive officer of LGT Securities (Thailand) Ltd, effective May 15, as the Liechtenstein-based private bank deepens its LGT Thailand wealth management presence in one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing affluent markets. Bunsongsikul brings more than three decades of experience in international banking and was most recently president and chief executive officer for Thailand and representative offices at Standard Chartered Ban

UBS expects about USD83tr in wealth to change hands globally over the next two to three decades, with Asia-Pacific families increasingly turning to professional advisers and family offices as intergenerational transfers accelerate, according to the bank’s newly launched Global Next Gen Report. The UBS next generation wealth survey of around 170 clients found more than 40% of Asia-Pacific multi-generational families are already transferring wealth or actively planning successi

OCBC aims to double its consumer banking wealth business by 2029, after already doubling it since 2022, The Business Times reported, citing Sunny Quek, the bank’s head of global consumer financial services. The OCBC wealth business target is part of new group CEO Tan Teck Long’s Next Frontier strategy, built around a wealth management committee that brings together OCBC’s consumer bank, Bank of Singapore and insurer Great Eastern under shared financial targets. Quek said OCBC

Taiwan’s financial firms posted record first-quarter pretax profits as a rally in local equities lifted investment returns, wealth management income and brokerage activity, the Financial Supervisory Commission said. The Taiwan financial firms result showed combined pretax profit across banking, insurance and securities rising 37.09% from a year earlier to NTD370.997bn (USD11.81bn), beating the previous first-quarter record set in 2021. Banking pretax profit climbed 28.5% to N

Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-song has been elected to the Bank for International Settlements’ 18-member board, Seoul’s central bank said. The South Korea BIS board appointment gives Shin a three-year term and allows South Korea to maintain a seat on the BIS board since 2019. The board sets the policy direction of the Switzerland-based institution, which comprises 63 central banks, and supervises its management. South Korea joined the BIS in 1997. The BOK said Shin’s elect

Singapore is attracting more wealth from high-net-worth individuals and family offices as geopolitical tensions and Middle East instability increase demand for neutral financial hubs. The Singapore safe haven wealth trend has been reinforced by record total deposits of USD1.61tr in February, while assets under management rose 12% to SGD6.07tr (USD4.48tr) in 2024 and single-family offices exceeded 2,000 by year-end. Advisers said Singapore’s regulatory framework, currency stab

AI access restrictions are emerging inside global financial institutions as Goldman Sachs bars its Hong Kong bankers from using Anthropic’s Claude models, according to the Financial Times. The restriction prevents staff in the city from accessing Claude directly or through Goldman’s internal AI platforms, although it does not apply to other providers including OpenAI. The move followed a strict reading of the bank’s contractual arrangements with Anthropic, whose models are no

China financial regulator Li Yunze has been demoted over a suspected disciplinary violation, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter, in the latest sign of Beijing’s widening crackdown on the financial sector. Li, 55, headed the National Financial Regulatory Administration, which oversees banks, insurers and trust firms across China’s USD79tr financial industry. Reuters said his name and photo were removed from the regulator’s leadership page. Li was appointe

Southeast Asia private banking expansion is accelerating as Lombard Odier appoints Edwin Tan as market head for the region, effective July 13, 2026, as the Swiss private bank strengthens its regional leadership. Based in Singapore, Tan will report to Asia private clients head Omar Shokur and will be responsible for launching and leading a new Southeast Asia team, including hiring relationship managers and specialists to serve clients across key markets. Tan joins from DBS, wh

Family office advisory demand is rising as Bank of Singapore strengthens its leadership team to support ultra-high-net-worth clients facing increasingly complex wealth planning needs. The OCBC private banking arm said its family office advisory team recorded its highest number of global client engagements in 2025, with further growth expected. The bank appointed Elvin Ho as head of family office and structuring solutions, alongside new senior roles across Singapore, Hong Kong

Malaysia family office ambitions are gaining traction as authorities position Forest City Special Financial Zone as a lower-cost complement to Singapore. Launched in September 2024 within the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, the initiative offers tax incentives including 0% on qualifying investment income for 10 years, extendable to 20 years. Malaysian authorities said six single-family offices managing RM400m (USD85m) had been approved by early 2026, with a target of R

Indonesia QRIS payment network has officially expanded to South Korea after Bank Indonesia and the Bank of Korea launched a cross-border QRIS payment link under a local currency settlement framework. The linkage allows users to make retail payments directly between the rupiah and South Korean won, reducing reliance on the US dollar. Bank Indonesia said inbound QRIS transactions had reached 5.9 million and outbound transactions 1.7 million as of early April. Officials said the

Taishin Securities merger Taiwan will create the island’s fourth-largest brokerage by market share after the company completes its merger with MasterLink Securities, according to Financial Supervisory Commission data. The combined brokerage’s market share is expected to rise to 5.13% from 2.19%, lifting Taishin’s ranking from 16th to fourth. Taishin Securities will remain the surviving entity and the MasterLink brand will be discontinued. Parent TS Financial Holding said the

Vietnam growth outlook remains the strongest in the ASEAN+3 region, with the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office forecasting GDP growth of 7.4% in 2026 and 7.1% in 2027, after an estimated 8% in 2025. Inflation is projected at 3.8% in 2026 and 3.4% in 2027. AMRO said the Vietnam growth outlook is underpinned by strong domestic demand, stable inflation, robust exports, solid foreign investment inflows and strength in high-tech manufacturing and electronics. Across ASEAN+3, g