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British banking group Barclays has unveiled plans to launch a new private bank booking centre in Singapore, expanding its presence in Asia. 

This move aims to enhance its services for ultra-high-net-worth and global family office clients by offering comprehensive wealth management solutions. 

Due to start operations by 2026, the new Singapore centre will support local asset booking for affluent clients. 

The centre will enable Barclays Private Bank to provide an integrated ‘one-bank’ proposition, tapping its collaboration with Barclays Investment Bank. 

QDB, Qatar Development Bank, has announced a strategic investment in Wahed, a worldwide financial company that complies with Shariah. 

Wahed presently manages over $1bn in assets and serves over 400,000 clients globally. The company is founded on the ideals of making access to financial services, and its mobile app provides clients with Shariah-compliant investing options. 

Moreover, Wahed lowers the obstacles to skilled investment management services that were previously reserved for high-net-worth investors. 

In order to enable more individuals from all across the UK make their money work harder for them, Hargreaves Lansdown has introduced a VCT online service. 

This service will increase investment in the early phases of dynamic, entrepreneurial UK companies that are an essential part of the UK economy. 

The online service offers the VCT market a clear and uncomplicated product. For those confident investors who have already reached their ISA and pension limits, VCTs are a method to receive further tax relief and investment shelter when tax bands remain frozen, and allowances are tightened. 

Charles Russell Speechlys has established a new office in Milan, Italy. 

Nicola Saccardo, partner in the private client team in London, will stay on to lead the firm’s Italian office, with overarching responsibilities as Head of the Italian office. Cristiana Felisi, former Of Counsel at Maisto e Associati, will join as a partner and head of the Milan Office. Meanwhile, Giovanni Angelini will also join as Counsel from Maisto e Associati. 

HSBC UK is set to expand its presence in London’s wealth management scene with the opening of its first-ever wealth centre in St James’s in 2025. 

The facility will complement its existing Private Banking office in Mayfair, offering both Premier and Private Banking clients access to a premium environment designed to deliver exceptional service and experiences.