(Yicai) July 21 -- On July 17, 2025, Standard Chartered Bank hosted "Now’s the time to flourish without borders– Standard Chartered Bank 'Global Chinese Services' H2 2025 Global Market Outlook" event at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, gathering wealth management experts, business leaders, and key clients. This event, in partnership with Yicai, specially invited two distinguished guests to join the grand gathering. Organized by Standard Chartered Global Chinese Services, this landmark event shared the latest in-depth Global Market Outlook (GMO) insights and facilitated discussions on global Chinese group’s development concerns across enterprise development, personal growth, and family wellbeing. This is the first ever Mandarin outlook event for priority banking clients in Singapore, and one of the few of its kind in Singapore. It aimed to address their unique challenges and opportunities, fostering exchanges and guidance for future endeavors.

"Global Chinese Services" offers a holistic, group-level service system for global Chinese, elevating offerings and refining strategies via cultural nuance recognition, aligned with the "3P Theory (Product-led, Proposition-led, and Purpose-led)" to explore mission-driven cross-cultural value creation. Long focused on clients’ aspirations beyond wealth, fostering shared identity values among global Chinese (resonating with "shared destiny"), Standard Chartered leverages its worldwide network to deliver localized expertise as China’s corporate globalizes and SMEs expand overseas, providing personalized banking, wealth, and legacy planning solutions, and integrated resources for healthcare, education, and overseas living, to support the global Chinese to expand their business, elevate their professional success, and empower their family prosperity.

Richard Li, Group Head of Global Chinese, Standard Chartered Bank, quoted at the event, “Through this GMO event, we not only shared Standard Chartered’s latest wealth management insights, but also engaged in deep conversations around how global Chinese—especially entrepreneurs going global—can navigate today’s complex macro environment. This dialogue has further strengthened our commitment to supporting global Chinese clients across their enterprise, personal, and family needs, including the increasingly important dimension of cultural and identity-based aspirations.”

James Lye, Global and Singapore International Banking Head, Standard Chartered Bank, welcomed clients to the event with an opening address. Lye highlighted Standard Chartered’s international network and cross-border expertise. “We pride ourselves on being a trusted partner to our clients as they navigate an increasingly complex global landscape. Our strength as a leading international wealth manager allows us to bring timely and on-ground insights like those shared at the outlook event to our clients, connecting them to global opportunities,” adds Lye.

2025 H2 Global Market Outlook and Investment Strategies

Ethan Wang, Head of Investment Strategy, Standard Chartered Bank China, and Audrey Goh, Head of Asset Allocation, Wealth Solutions Chief Investments Officer, Standard Chartered Bank, provided in-depth analysis of the market trends and investment strategies for the second half of 2025.

Ethan Wang explained the metaphor in the H2 GMO theme "Whale fall nourishes all life; tide ebbs, boat advances" that describes the shifting global dynamics, highlighting the potential convergence of "U.S. exceptionalism." He noted that the global economic engine is moving from U.S. dominance to a more balanced state, with a weakening U.S. dollar reshaping asset allocation—particularly in ex-Japan Asia and China equities—alongside non-U.S. dollar bonds and gold, where gold acts as a hedge against volatility and currency risks. Ethan Wang advised global Chinese investors to embrace flexibility, exploring sustainable finance and digital assets beyond traditional options.

Audrey Goh highlighted the U.S. dollar’s decline as a transformative shift, potentially driving capital inflows into emerging markets via lower dollar borrowing costs. This trend will reshape international trade and exchange rates, creating new investment opportunities globally. She detailed strategies: reducing cash holdings in favor of structured deposits, mutual funds, and ETFs; prioritizing high-quality dividend stocks for stable income; and tailoring allocations—conservative investors leaning into bonds, income seekers combining high-yield bonds and dividends, and growth-focused investors targeting clean energy and AI.

Global Chinese Insight Fireside Chat: Navigating Global Challenges for Overseas Entrepreneurs

The fireside chat, centered on "Navigating Global Challenges for Overseas Entrepreneurs," was moderated by Richard Li, with Lee Kok How, Economist, Lecturer and Columnist in Singapore; Han Lei, MD of Hann-Ocean Technology Group, an outstanding representative of Global Chinese entrepreneur, joining the discussion.

When talking about the challenges brought by global changes, Lee Kok How pointed out, based on market observations, that enterprises need to strike a balance between adapting to local policies and maintaining their own roots, and particularly emphasized the anchoring role of cultural and value identity in cross-border development. Henry L Han, drawing on his own experience in global expansion, added that to gain a firm foothold amid uncertainties, both systematic strategic adjustments and adherence to one's core values are essential.

In his summary, Richard Li elaborated on Standard Chartered Bank's philosophy in coping with the changing times: advocating "Be Bold, Be True" as the key to navigating through volatility. Based on this, Standard Chartered focuses on the in-depth needs of global Chinese and building a global Chinese community. It not only supports their cross-border business expansion and family planning through integrated financial resources but also makes efforts to preserve their cultural roots and identity. From providing Chinese-language services and linking global cultural resources to facilitating education and inheritance planning for the next generation, it comprehensively supports global Chinese in achieving steady development in the changing times, making cultural identity a driving force for development across regions.

The event in Singapore not only provided valuable market insights of 2025 H2 Global Market Outlook but also demonstrated Standard Chartered Bank's commitment to its "Global Chinese Services" initiative, aiming to support the global Chinese community in achieving their business, financial and life goals in an ever-changing global environment.