HSBC has completed the legal integration of AXA Singapore and HSBC Insurance (Singapore) via a scheme of transfer, marking the start of the insurance operations of the combined business under HSBC Life Singapore.

China’s venture capital and private equity market went through a difficult 2022 with a drop in the number of new funds and overall subscription size. Internet, real estate and consumption were the top three sectors that saw the largest decrease in VC/PE investment. But VC/PE’s penetration rate in Chinese initial public offerings rose last year, with leading players getting more IPO deals.

Johanes Oeni has 31 years of wealth management experience

Wealth manager’s office in ‘gateway to Greater China’ combines digital, advisory

Clients are demanding more intuitive technology and broader services from their private banking and trust providers. And as such, these organizations require greater economies of scale to invest in enhancing their offerings. More than two-thirds (68%) of private bank and bank trust executives are actively considering merger and acquisition (M&A) opportunities to grow and adapt their businesses, according to the latest Cerulli Edge – US Asset and Wealth Management Edition.

Increasing shareholder activism is expected to play a crucial role in sustainable investing in 2023 as investors and asset managers become more resolute in pushing corporate and financial institutions to achieve sustainability targets, according to Federica Calvetti, head of ESG and strategic activism at Eurizon, the asset management unit of Italy’s largest financial group Intessa Sanpaolo.

Global investment in the low-carbon energy transition totalled US$1.1 trillion in 2022 – a new record and a huge acceleration from the year before – as the energy crisis and policy action drove faster deployment of clean energy technologies, according to a new report. In another first, investment in low-carbon technologies appears to have reached parity with capital deployed in support of fossil fuel supply, research firm BloombergNEF (BNEF) says in its Energy Transition Investment Trends report.

Global financial technology firm Broadridge Financial Solutions has launched a new environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure and data analytics comparison tool. Called ESG Analyser, the new web-based ESG disclosure and data analytics benchmarking tool promises to deliver timely, high-quality, cost-effective, transparent data and insights.

BNY Mellon has launched a new outsourced trading offering for buyside institutions globally, including asset managers and asset owners, to enhance their operational and strategic efficiencies, and savings as well as accelerate their expansion.

BNP Paribas Asset Management has appointed Daniel Choong as chief executive officer for Malaysia, subject to regulatory approval. He succeeds Angelia Chin-Sharpe, who relocated to Singapore last August following her appointment as the firm’s Singapore CEO.

Bitcoin (BTC), the bellwether of the cryptocurrency market, will peak at US$29,095 in 2023 before dropping to US$26,844 by the end of the year, a new report forecasts.