JP Morgan sees growing Asian demand for certain securities services

When it comes to services such as collateral management, securities lending and transition management, risk management and capital preservation were not always front of mind for investors. Instead, they were seeking alpha while downplaying many of the risks inherent to their trades.

Not so at JP Morgan, says Sandie O'Connor, the bank's global business executive for financing and markets products. "The crisis validated our approach," she says. That approach includes focusing on risk-adjusted returns, capital preservation and liquidity management for securities lending, allowing for consolidated views of positions for collateral management and minimising the cost of asset transitions.

The bank's financing and markets products division is part of its treasury and securities services business, which includes clearance, collateral management, depositary receipts, securities lending and transition management. Based in New York, O'Connor leads the division globally with Shaun Parkes, Asia ex-Japan head of worldwide securities services at JP Morgan, who is responsible for (though not exclusively) financing and markets products in the region. He took up the position this April.

This month, O'Connor has been on a tour of China, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and South Korea to meet with clients.