Praxis Asia leadership expansion highlights its growing focus on family office and cross-border wealth structuring, with new senior appointments in Hong Kong. The firm named Tom Zierer as Senior Executive Director and promoted Cindy Cheng to Regional Head of Growth and Business Development for Asia. Zierer, who relocated from Guernsey to Hong Kong in 2025, will lead a 14-member multilingual team serving international clients, while Cheng will oversee regional expansion and in

Ba Shusong Hong Kong developments have drawn attention after the former Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing managing director and chief China economist disappeared from public view, according to sources familiar with the matter. Mainland media speculated he had been detained for investigation, though no official confirmation was available. HKEX said Ba was no longer employed by the exchange operator and had left his part-time adviser role in late 2025. Ba, who frequently spoke o

Singapore family office talent risks are increasing as opaque pay structures and weak benchmarking make it harder to retain professionals in areas such as technology, AI and cybersecurity, according to a report by 101 finance. The report said Singapore’s family-controlled corporate landscape and lack of specific shareholder inspection rights helped sustain opaque pay practices, while firms were more vulnerable to poaching as employees compared compensation with more transpare

Hong Kong wealth legacy academy board appointments have expanded as the institution added four new members from real estate, education, investment and hospitality. The academy named Sino Group chairman Daryl Ng Win Kong and YK Pao School co-founder Philip Sohmen as vice chairmen, while Chartwell Capital founder Ronald Chan Wai-yan and Dorsett Hospitality International chair Winnie Chiu Wing-kwan joined as board members. Chairman Adrian Cheng said the appointments would deepen

SMBC Philippines corporate banking head appointment sees Maria Angelica Balangue take leadership of the unit, subject to regulatory approval. Based in Manila, she will report to country head Hiroyasu Kanda and Asia Pacific corporate banking head Joyce Tee. Balangue joins from BDO Unibank and has more than 20 years of experience across corporate banking and capital markets. The SMBC Philippines corporate banking head move supports the bank’s expansion strategy in a growing Sou

FNZ APAC leadership appointment sees Peter Hiom named group head of Asia Pacific while retaining his role as group head of markets at the wealth technology platform. In the expanded position, Hiom will oversee strategy, growth and client delivery across the region. FNZ said the appointment forms part of a broader leadership reshuffle alongside Anthony Habis as group head of North America and Alasdair Munro as chief communications officer. The FNZ APAC leadership appointment s

Standard Chartered digital assets Asia strategy is expanding with the appointment of Karby Leggett as head of digital assets for Greater China, North Asia, South Asia and ASEAN. Leggett will join the bank’s Digital Assets Centre of Excellence while continuing as global head of the official institutions group under the research division. The bank said the appointment reflects growing institutional interest in tokenised finance, stablecoins and digital‑asset ecosystems. Standar

WRISE Taiwan family wealth expansion is under way as the Singapore-based firm opens a new client service centre in Taipei to deepen coverage of a market where UHNW assets are expected to reach USD1.9tr by 2029. The WRISE Taiwan family wealth expansion will see the Xinyi District centre offer advisory and consultation services and host education and engagement programmes focused on intergenerational planning and next-generation dialogue. Group Executive Chairman Derrick Tan sa

Bank of Singapore has hired an alternatives specialist to strengthen its ultra-high-net-worth offering as demand for customised products rises across Asia’s private wealth market. The OCBC-backed private bank appointed Bernard Heng as head of customised solutions, effective March 2, according to a statement. Heng will report to Lim Leong Guan, global head of the investment solutions group, and will lead the development and execution of complex products tailored to UHNW client

UBS Hong Kong wealth hiring plans include about 50 new bankers for its wealth business after its North Asia franchise posted record revenue last year, with recruitment focused on high net-worth clients as the bank looks to broaden beyond its recent emphasis on billionaires, Asia-Pacific wealth co-head Amy Lo said. UBS brought in USD62.5bn of net new assets in Asia in 2025, helped by Hong Kong’s active IPO market and so-called win-back flows after the integration of Credit Sui

Macquarie Asset Management Asia wealth expansion gathered pace as the firm added three hires to grow its regional wealth business and push private market offerings to private banking and intermediary clients, the firm said. Wai Kin Leung joins as senior vice president, Asia wealth, focusing on Greater China and helping advance private market solutions; he most recently led managed solutions work at LGT Private Banking and previously worked at Pictet, Credit Suisse and HSBC. M

Blackstone Asia hiring plans are accelerating as the alternative asset manager looks to capture rising private market demand from individual investors, Ed Huang, its Asia-Pacific private wealth head, said. Blackstone has roughly doubled its regional team over the past two years and is expanding in Japan, adding staff in Australia and placing people on the ground in South Korea. Huang said the firm sees strong potential in offering private equity and private credit products to

Raffles Family Office has appointed former BNP Paribas banker Pradinan Arkarachinores as managing director for relationship management, strengthening its advisory capabilities for ultra-high-net-worth clients. The Singapore-based multi-family office said Arkarachinores will lead a team overseeing portfolios for Asian UHNW families, with a focus on relationship management, strategic advisory and the delivery of tailored wealth solutions. She will report to Kendrick Lee, the gr

Wisdom Group multi-family office has appointed banking and external asset management veteran Arthur Fong as managing director and senior adviser, strengthening leadership for its UHNW client base. Wisdom Group Holdings, a Hong Kong-based platform with about USD7bn in assets and a presence in Hong Kong and Singapore, describes itself as an independent asset management and multi-family office business serving ultra-high-net-worth families and their advisers. Fong said he joined

Fiera Capital is expanding Japan private markets distribution with a senior hire as it builds its local presence and targets institutional and family office investors. The Canadian asset manager said it has appointed Chinatsu Aoyama as director and private markets specialist in Japan, based in Tokyo, to support distribution of strategies across real estate debt and equity, natural capital, infrastructure, private credit and private equity. She reports to CJ Morrell, managing

HSBC Private Bank is bolstering its Asia wealth planning capabilities through a series of senior hires aimed at deepening client coverage and advisory strength. HSBC Private Bank said it expanded its Global India coverage team in Singapore by appointing Phaneendar Bhavaraju and Rangan Krishnan as senior relationship managers reporting to Manoj Ramarao, senior desk head for Global India in Singapore and Hong Kong. Bhavaraju brings more than 28 years of experience across privat

UBS has made a strategic UBS APAC wealth management hire, appointing a senior investment strategist from HSBC to strengthen its Asia-Pacific advisory capabilities as global banks compete for talent amid volatile markets. The wealth management arm of UBS has named James Cheo to its chief investment office for APAC, covering Southern Asia and Australia, effective March 30, according to an internal memo. In his new role, Cheo will deliver investment content and client coverage a

Hong Kong Investment Funds Association (HKIFA) CEO appointment sees the industry body name Paula Ip, a former UBS Global Wealth Management executive, as chief executive officer with immediate effect. Ip brings more than 30 years of experience in asset management and wealth advisory and most recently served as a managing director at UBS Global Wealth Management overseeing fund advisory and distribution across North Asia. She previously held senior roles at UBS, GAM, ING and J.

Family office talent crunch pressures are intensifying despite generous compensation, with nearly eight in 10 family offices struggling to hire staff, according to a survey by AlTi Tiedemann Global and Campden Wealth cited by Niccolò M. Mottola of Marcus Evans Group. Polling 146 offices, the study found 79% faced recruitment difficulties and 54% were concerned about retention, rising to 92% among offices managing more than USD1bn. Average chief investment officer pay was abou

Japan M&A boom momentum is prompting Citigroup to expand its investment banking team in the country by 30% by the first half of 2026, aiming to capture deal activity involving Japanese companies that has reached about USD350bn this year, the highest since records began in 1998. Japan vice-chair Masuo Fukuda said governance reforms have made corporate boards more shareholder-focused, driving divestments of non-core assets and overseas expansion, while hostile bids, private equ