Maybank ATR KE eyes greater China

MANILA, Philippines - Maybank ATR Kim Eng has received a corporate finance license that will not only assist Philippine companies with overseas ambitions, but bring it notably to the shores of fast-growing Greater China region.

This developed as Maybank Kim Eng’s Hong Kong office obtained a corporate finance license, setting in motion a growth strategy to expand in Hong Kong and gain entry into Greater China.  Maybank Kim Eng is the principal shareholder of PSE-listed Maybank ATR Kim Eng Financial.

The license, issued by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (SFC), allows Maybank Kim Eng to offer corporate finance advisory services in Hong Kong, including the underwriting of initial public offerings (IPOs), as well as providing advisory, merger and acquisitions and corporate restructuring services.

“The license would open doors for us to penetrate into Greater China. This region is important to us, and to harness its growth potential, we are working towards increasing the size and scale of our business in Hong Kong. This will enable us to further capitalize on the markets’ rising opportunities,” Tengku Dato’ Zafrul Tengku Aziz, group chief executive of Maybank Kim Eng, said.

The Hong Kong office was established in 1988 and subsequently launched futures trading in 1995. It began to provide equities research to institutional clients in the 1990s. In 2010, it opened its first branch in Wan Chai and has since developed its retail business franchise.

Angela Yau, chief executive officer of Kim Eng Securities Hong Kong added, “We are excited by the growth prospects. Prior to this, we only had a full broker license in Hong Kong. Now we are more equipped to serve our clients with a greater breadth of products and services in areas like M&A, equity and equity linked securities and leveraged finance.”

The Maybank Group is Malaysia’s regional financial services leader with an international network of over 2,200 offices in 18 countries namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Great Britain and the United States of America.