Hubbis

The high-net-worth insurance market in Asia has never offered more choice. From participatory savings plans and indexed universal life to variable universal life and private placement life insurance, the toolkit available to advisers and their clients has expanded considerably.

DBS Group aims to increase combined assets under management across its retail and wealth segments to more than SGD1 trillion (USD774 billion) by 2030, banking on continued growth in Asian wealth and inflows into the region’s financial centres. The target compares with SGD632 billion at the end of 2025 and would require an increase of roughly SGD400 billion (USD309 billion) over five years.

At the Hubbis Wealth Planning & Structuring Forum - Singapore 2026, Dr Irina M. Francken, Director at IN Fiduciary Services, and Derrick Kew, Director, Tax and Advisory at CA Practice PAC, presented a practical cross-border case study on New Zealand Foreign Trusts for families with Singapore-resident beneficiaries.

Deutsche Bank’s Private Bank has appointed Jennifer Tay as Vice Chairman, Southeast Asia, as it continues to strengthen its senior coverage capabilities across the region. Tay will join the bank on 3 August and report to Johanes Oeni, Head of Southeast Asia. Deutsche Bank described the appointment as an important strategic hire for its Southeast Asia franchise and part of its continued investment in senior talent to support further growth.

Bank of Singapore has named senior executives from KKR and PIMCO as new members of its Chief Investment Office Global Advisory Council in an annual refresh of the group, the private bank said on Tuesday. Lauren Goodwin, managing director and chief investment strategist at KKR, and John Studzinski CBE, vice-chairman and managing director at PIMCO, have joined the council.

Deutsche Bank AG has hired four bankers from Standard Chartered Plc as it expands its private banking operations in Dubai, Bloomberg News reported, citing an internal memo. The group includes managing director Eleftherios Sachanidis, who will report to Deutsche Bank’s Gulf head, Mubashar Ayoob. Bloomberg reported that Sachanidis and the three other bankers would help broaden the German lender’s client coverage and capabilities across emerging markets.

In Asia, Swiss Life Global Solutions is not seeking to replicate the full Swiss Life Group proposition yet. While Swiss Life is a major European life, pensions and insurance group with a 168-year track record, its Asian business is focused specifically on high net worth (HNW) and ultra-high net worth clients requiring customised insurance structures.

CTBC Bank Co (中信銀行) has opened its Asia New Bay Area branch in Kaohsiung, establishing a hub for wealth management, private banking and family office services as Taiwan develops an asset management center in the city. The facility is CTBC’s 159th branch nationwide and its 17th in Kaohsiung. Chairman James Chen (陳佳文) said the branch formed an important part of the bank’s strategy to expand its presence in Kaohsiung’s asset management zone and serve high-net-worth clients.

Chung Yin O, Regional Director of Legal and Operations at Cone Marshall Group, took to the stage during the “In the Hubbis Hot Seat” session at the Hubbis Wealth Planning and Structuring Forum in Singapore to set out why ultra-high-net-worth families require more than standard corporate administration when structuring, protecting and transferring wealth.

​​​​​​​At the Hubbis Wealth Planning & Structuring Forum - Singapore 2026, Luanna Teo, Vice President, Brand Development at Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance Company, examined how fixed-rate annuity solutions can complement structured products, bonds, deposits and other income-focused investments. Luanna’s presentation focused on the changing fixed income environment and the need for advisers to look beyond product categories when clients ask for income, protection or stability.