TOKYO (Reuters) - Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered (STAN.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) expects big Japanese companies to increase trade and investment across the rest of Asia to broaden risk from the domestic economy, the head of the bank's Japan business said on Wednesday.
Patrick Gillot, head of Standard Chartered's (2888.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) operations in Japan, said his bank was attempting to tap into demand for wholesale bank products as part of that trend.
"Companies want to make themselves less at risk and they will continue to look at Asia," Gillot said at the Reuters Japan Investment Summit.
"We are looking more at how we can build a bridge from Japan to other countries where we have strength."
Trade finance and other wholesale banking products are core to its plans. The bank is considering getting a Japanese securities license, but had not decided yet if it would get an advantage from entering that crowded and competitive market.
Japan's trade with China, India, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and UAE -- six core markets for Standard Chartered -- has grown at 13 percent annually from 2003 to 2008 and represents 40 percent of Japan's trade, Gillot estimated.
"When it comes to doing cash management in India or if they need a loan in Pakistan then there is much less competition (than for domestic products) and we can help them in these markets," he said.
The London-listed bank has fared better than rivals during the financial crisis thanks to its focus on Asia and its traditionally strong capital and liquidity.
Its Japanese private banking business, opened in 2005, had seen a slowdown in growth as the financial crisis deepened at the end of last year, but its assets under management had not dropped, Gillot said.
The bank is targeting about 12 million "mass affluent" Japanese households. Gillot declined to say how many customers it had attracted, but said growth had been at least 10 percent each year since launch.
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(Reporting by Steve Slater; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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