Speaking at Hubbis' inaugural Independent Wealth Management Forum 2013 in Singapore in mid-March, senior industry practitioners emphasised their optimism for this nascent industry in Asia.

As more and more banks vie to enter and grab their share of Thailand�s developing wealth management industry, they shouldn�t under-estimate the size of the task ahead of them.

Speaking at the Hubbis Independent Wealth Management Forum 2013 in Singapore in mid-March - Peter Triggs of DBS Private Bank explains the drivers and attractions for investing in Asia, and looks at DBS' role in this.

Pius Zgraggen of OLZ & Partners explains why European investors and family offices should consider investing in Asia, including how they can do it and what to be aware of.

Depleted trust in banks and advisers in the aftermath of the financial crisis has resulted in reduced investor appetites for risk. Being able to offer the right investment advice and deliver results is a key way for institutions to win back that trust, as well as motivate clients to widen product appetites.

Discretionary portfolio management (DPM) has not yet been fully accepted by clients and become widespread within Asia’s flourishing private banking and wealth management industry. Ways to address this issue include understanding what sorts of relationships will work for different clients, identifying ways to help them preserve their wealth, as well as open architecture, increased transparency and accountability, and flexibility around fees.

In today’s difficult environment, many wealth management firms in Asia are struggling to establish trust-based relationships with clients that are stable enough to ensure those clients opt for discretionary mandates. Onboarding the people with the right profiles and skillsets can help with this, along with minimising turnover or churn of advisers within the organisation. In addition, communication and understanding your clients are both key to trust-based relationships – rather than simply offering them what you think they need.

In order to develop a winning discretionary portfolio management (DPM) offering in Asia, organisations and their advisers need to be aware of the various ways in which the general culture, expectations, and preferences of wealthy Asian clients differ from those of wealthy clients elsewhere in the world.

Asia’s continued growth has generated a huge amount of interest from foreign investors – both individuals and institutions, with many global firms opening Asia branches and offices. However, questions have also been raised over whether the quality of Asia’s banking industry can match that of other, more established jurisdictions such as Switzerland – and whether, therefore, this rate of foreign investment will continue in years to come.

With regulators becoming more and more demanding around the profiling of banking customers, institutions are faced with numerous challenges in terms of managing and maintaining their data, and finding effective and suitable ways to use it. The implementation of systems and platforms is clearly a solution – but a costly one, which also raises other challenges around compatibility and integration.

Should banks segment clients in terms of their wealth, market or jurisdiction – and focus their energies on segments – or alternatively, treat all clients with the understanding that they all have the same goal when it comes to wealth management?

Data presents banks and other wealth management firms with a plethora of opportunities to stand out and win more business in today’s competitive environment. Tailored customer communication and enhanced adviser empowerment are two ways in which firms can improve the client experience, using data they already have.

Anselm de Souza, managing director for Sopra Banking Software in Asia Pacific, stresses the importance for banks and wealth managers in South-east Asia of investing in systems to drive revenue and ensure a robust platform to meet regulatory requirements.

Weeks after the release of the Investment Adviser Regulations by the Indian regulator, the wealth management industry still has queries about the scope of the regulations, as discussed at a roundtable organised by Financial Intermediaries Association of India (FIAI) and Hubbis.

Keith Harrison, head of Asia Pacific, and the Singapore branch manager, at Bank Hapoalim, talks to Hubbis about which types of private banks he thinks are most likely to be successful in 2013.

Speaking at the Hubbis Asian Wealth Management Forum 2013 in Hong Kong in late February – Eduardo Leemann of Falcon Private Bank discusses his market outlook, and his vision for growing his business.

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) is focused on ensuring the quality – not quantity – of its rules and regulations, and in turn enhancing the market for all participants, according to Mark Steward, executive director of enforcement.

In today’s rapidly-evolving regulatory environment, simply being able to comply with the many local and cross-border regulations that private banks now face is a significant challenge. And achieving this while also maintaining an appropriate cost-income ratio is even tougher.

Matthias Weber, partner of fund research and analysis company ifund services, talks to Hubbis about some of the current trends in fund management in Europe, and the role the firm plays in servicing this community.

Nicholas Hacking, director of sales at banking software specialist ERI Bancaire, discusses the regulatory and compliance requirements worrying banks today, along with issues they should be considering within the wider technology trends within wealth management.

Remy Obermann, head of the independent asset managers (IAM) department at Pictet, gives Hubbis an insight into the challenging IAM landscape in Switzerland, as well as the current issues confronting European-based firms as they look to access Asia.

Chris Van Aeken, chief executive officer of Bank Morgan Stanley AG, and head of products and services, international wealth management at Morgan Stanley, explains to Hubbis the increasing importance of a more focused and client-centric product and advisory offering, especially given uncertain and volatile markets.

Chris Van Aeken, chief executive officer of Bank Morgan Stanley AG, and head of products and services, international wealth management at Morgan Stanley, outlines to Hubbis his perception of the global private banking landscape based on trends across different parts of the business – and outlines what it takes to be successful in such an environment.

Talking to Hubbis about the growth challenges and opportunities for independent asset management companies in Switzerland and Asia, Olivier Collombin, partner, Lombard Odier & Co Capital Partners, and founder of E-MERGING, and Michael Ley, independent asset managers - business development, at Lombard Odier, look at where next for the serious industry players.

Choon Nean Chong, director, private client services at Jardine Lloyd Thompson, talks to Hubbis about recent innovations by insurance companies in terms of product features to cater to evolving demand, especially in the high net worth segment.

John Williamson, chief executive officer of EFG International, tells Hubbis how the firm is charting a course that involves growth in strategic emerging markets but with much more discipline in relation to costs – starting with a cost-income ratio target of 75% for 2014.

Below is a snapshot of some of the key local and international regulatory and compliance developments in January 2013 relevant to the Asian wealth management industry.

International wealth management is under added regulatory pressure from the frequency and scope of reforms in various jurisdictions around the world. It is tougher than ever before to keep up with all the changes and new requirements.

Technology solutions are in favour as the most viable way for wealth management firms to deal with the multitude of regulatory and compliance challenges they face.