Alvaro Huete has been with the French bank for 28 years and is relocating from Paris to Singapore.

Quentin Galmiche will start the role in Hong Kong on September 1; he first joined the French bank in 2009.

Singapore-based Phua has become head of markets solutions under cluster sales, Asia North and Asia South, for clients of Citi Commercial Bank.

Hanoi’s capital market initiatives are driving Vietnamese equities higher even as concerns over Asia’s trade outlook and erratic tariffs continue to overhang sentiment.

The seventh issuance, listed on SGX, aims to continue leveraging blended finance to develop gender-lens investments across Asia; a second tranche in the pipeline could make it the largest in the WLB series.

Joy Kwek joins from Morgan Stanley and is tasked with leading synergies between SMBC and SMBC Nikko, strengthening their capital markets and structured solutions offering.

Global ESG sukuk increased by 12% in H1 2025 to about $50bn equivalent outstanding. The GCC accounted for over half of this, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while Malaysia and Indonesia together represented 40%. Pakistan made a market debut as an issuer.

The EU has reached an agreement with US president Donald Trump, who said global baseline tariffs would be between 15% and 20%. The move follows deals with Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Amid rising geopolitical fragmentation and tightening capital, infrastructure is emerging as a resilient asset class. Philippe Valahu discussed how a shift towards climate-smart, gender-inclusive, and blended finance-backed projects is redefining long-term value.