LONDON, Jan 5, 2026, 08:35 ET — Regular session
- Standard Chartered named two senior hires to expand its Global Chief Investment Office for wealth clients
- A filing showed the bank bought back 544,241 shares on Jan. 2 and plans to cancel them
- Shares were up about 0.7% in early London trade, hovering near the top of their 52-week range
Standard Chartered said it has expanded its Global Chief Investment Office team with two senior appointments as it invests in its affluent banking business.
The bank’s London-listed shares were up about 0.7% at 1,857 pence. The stock has been trading near its 52-week high, leaving investors quick to react to any signals on momentum and capital returns.
The timing matters because Standard Chartered has been leaning harder on wealth advisory and markets-related fee income, areas investors typically view as steadier than interest-rate driven banking income. Staffing moves in the team that sets investment strategy for wealth clients can feed directly into client engagement and product uptake.
In a separate filing, Standard Chartered said it bought back 544,241 shares on Jan. 2 under its ongoing programme, paying a volume-weighted average 1,847.37 pence per share. A share buyback is when a company repurchases its own shares, often to reduce the share count and lift earnings per share.
The bank said Sundeep Gantori joined as Chief Investment Officer for equities, based in Singapore, after roles at UBS where he covered global technology and an AI-focused portfolio.
It also hired Jonathan Liang as Chief Investment Officer for fixed income and FX, based in Hong Kong, following a career in investment roles including at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Both appointments report to Steve Brice, the bank’s Global Chief Investment Officer.
“The Chief Investment Office is core to our Wealth Solutions business,” Brice said in the statement. MarketScreener
For traders, the near-term question is whether Standard Chartered can push decisively through the top of its recent range around 1,860.5 pence. A slip back toward the 1,844 pence prior close would put the latest breakout attempt under scrutiny.
The next big checkpoint is the bank’s full-year results, scheduled for Feb. 24. Investors will be listening for guidance on wealth-led growth, cost discipline and how much excess capital management is willing to return.
Still, the hires are unlikely to change near-term earnings on their own, and client activity can cool quickly if markets turn volatile. Any bump in credit losses in its core emerging-market footprint, or fresh regulatory and legal pressure, would also test the rally in the shares.
Standard Chartered reports full-year results on Feb. 24, the next clear catalyst on the calendar.
