BANKING giant Standard Chartered will hire 100 private bankers over the next 12 months, despite weak hiring forecast for the financial sector.

The British-listed firm, which has a major presence in Singapore, aims to bolster the presence of its wealth management arm in fast-growing markets across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Although StanChart declined to elaborate further, a bank source said most of the new hires will probably be based in Asia, with the remaining going to Europe and the Middle East.

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