CIMB takes on bulge-bracket with equities expansion

CIMB continues to build its Asia research capability as it strives to become a top-10 regional broker. The Malaysian bank already has a strong on-the-ground presence across the key Asean markets and four recent Hong Kong hires are part of its plan to build a full research platform to take on the global banks.

Before buying some of Royal Bank of Scotland’s Asian equities businesses last year, CIMB covered stocks in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, with an outpost in Hong Kong. Since the $140 million deal in April, the bank now also has a serious presence in Hong Kong and China, has opened in India and Korea, and...