Despite regularly featuring in the the headlines in recent months troubled German bank Deutsche sees opportunity in Southeast Asia.
In an interview with the Thai publication the «Bangkok Post» Werner Steinmueller, chief executive officer for Asia Pacific with Deutsche Bank (DB) said that the greater financial market volatility presents an opportunity for banking operations as businesses seek to counter added risks.
Steinmueller relocated to Hong Kong last year to take on the new Asian role. He has been with Deutsche Bank since 1991 and was the Head of Global Transaction Banking (GTB) prior to the move.
With the large dependency in the region on the U.S. dollar Steinmueller sees higher financial volatility in Asia.
Corporate and Investment Banking Focus
The CEO sees this as playing into the strengths of his bank, «We have techniques like options or certain risk management strategies that we can discuss with clients,» said Steinmueller, «there is a broad range of hedging products to manage [foreign-exchange and interest-rate] risks», he adds.
In Southeast Asia Deutsche Bank will continue to hone in on corporate and investment banking.
The chief executive said his bank would concentrate on cross-border transactions for corporates, financial institutions, such as dealers, brokers and asset managers, and also high net-worth clients.
Big In Thailand
Deutsche Bank in Thailand has had a strong couple of years, including conducting several of the country's largest advisory deals.
Steinmueller said Asia Pacific continued to contribute significantly to the banks bottom line, and that the region would remain a «focal point» for growth in the future.
