Credit Suisse makes strategic decisions in Asia

2022-09-03 03:52:10 By : Ms. Rebecca Lai

Despite all the turbulence, Credit Suisse wants to push the wealth management business with the super-rich in China next year.The major Swiss bank is currently making other important decisions in Asia.Credit Suisse (CS) continues to rely on China and wants to start the wealth management business there in the coming year.Benjamin Cavalli, head of the wealth management business in the Asia-Pacific region, told the Reuters news agency that, contrary to all rumours, the major Swiss bank is not withdrawing from China."We're never going to go into a new market where we feel like we have a three or four year payback and then have to pull out," he said.Cavalli relocated from Singapore to Hong Kong earlier this year to take over the helm of Credit Suisse's Asian wealth management unit, finews.ch reported.The big bank plans to start offering wealth management services in China next year after completing its full acquisition of the Chinese securities joint venture.This is likely to be the case by the first quarter of 2023.CS increased its stake in the joint venture to 51 percent two years ago and is now aiming for full control.So far, the bank has hired around 50 employees for the asset business, including customer advisors and investment advisors.Rich Chinese outperform EuropeansChina remains a long-term target for CS because, according to Cavalli, the potential for selling wealth management products to the wealthy in the world's second largest economy is enormous.China's wealth management market was worth 29 trillion yuan ($4.2 trillion) in June, according to official data.At a media conference earlier this week, Martin Hess, head of economic policy at the Swiss Bankers Association, said the Chinese are getting richer faster than the Europeans.As finews.com reported, Hess is also curious about how the assets will develop in view of the economic development in China.For the time being, Chinese financial institutions are dominating the sale of their own and third-party wealth products in the country, where there is growing demand from wealthy private individuals.However, the current market outlook is mixed.Cavalli does not believe that the trend will reverse any time soon and that sentiment will improve.However, he said CS was able to absorb some of the volatility thanks to its large presence in Asia and its offshore wealth centers in Singapore and Hong Kong.Meanwhile, the CS board of directors is gathered in Singapore to find solutions for the ailing investment banking sector.Defenders with a career in investment banking, such as Michael Klein and Blythe Masters, appear to be facing those who want to cut back on the deal, as finews.ch also reported.