2019 Investment Fund Awards

www.wealthandfinance-news.com 4 Wealth & Finance International - 2019 Investment Fund Awards Founded in 2009, IBH Investment Bank Limited has had a considerable impact in the financial sector in Labuan. In the changing world of financial services, it is easy to get caught up by the use of digital payments and cashless transactions, but the trick behind the success of IBH is its dedication to the future. ‘Our Bank is staying on the curve to provide such services to meet new demands,’ says Howard Choo. This is not to the detriment of the past, however. ‘Key success factors mean critical touch points to provide customer satisfaction, yet meeting regulatory requirements,’ explains Howard, and a great deal of their services are based on an area they are experienced in: Investment Funds. The investment funds offered by IBH uses a Global Money Market Fund, providing a target return of 8.0% p.a. Howard explains that ‘risk is managed using best practices and we use a risk return methodology for clients, which we assess under a stringent risk profiling methodology.’ This provides security for all clients, important when clients include governments, corporates as well as high-net-worth-individuals. IBH Investment Bank Limited is one of the leading investment banks in the Labuan International Business and Financial Sector, acting as Chairman of the Labuan Investment Banks Group. With a significant level of experience at the top level, it’s no surprise they have been an enormous success. Celebrating their 10th Anniversary this year, we caught up with MD/CEO, Dato’ Howard Choo to find out more. Fund Manager of the Year 2019 - Malaysia The company depends upon its reputation, reliability and flexibility to meet clients’ demand being the watchwords and keys to success. This applies as much to IBH as it does to the clients they work with. ‘Clients are chosen based on a good fit with the bank’s aspirations,’ says Howard. ‘and their integrity and potential for growth.’ Specialising in creation of private equity fund, M&A, corporate advisory and wealth management, IBH provides a service to many different high-profile clients. As a leading Labuan bank, it is keenly positioned to take advantage of market trends. Introducing Gold Trading facilities and digital sign-up for Gold Storage Account shows an understanding of what is required by clients in these circles. In the sector of investment banking, IBH has competition. ‘Our competitors are the regional investment banks as well as the other 13 Labuan investment banks. As we are the Chairman of the Labuan Investment Banks Group, we also share our knowledge with the rest,’ Howard elaborates. ‘The key differentiation is by any measure, the willingness to innovate and understand the risks aspects and to roll-out new products and services to fill the gap of competitors. New capital plays a critical role in this differentiation too, which we are working on currently.’ IBH Investment Bank Limited: Looking forward, it’s undeniable that what lies ahead holds a great deal of promise for IBH. ‘The future in a nutshell can be summed up as “the sky is the limit” ,’ Howard tells us. This is a function of capital and seems set to grow the Bank into a global powerhouse. ‘Major developments would include closer working relationship on the Belt and Road Initiative of China, domestic infrastructure projects, green energy and conservation projects as well as poverty eradication projects.’ These projects reflect the shifting focus in Asia as more infrastructure projects are underway. ‘Global funds are shifting from Middle East towards Asia,’ explains Howard. ‘This is a good opportunity for Asian banks to capitalise on this movement and to be ready to work with this opportunity.’ This is the direction that IBH has begun to move itself towards, with an increase in debt restructuring and mergers and acquisitions taking place. Currently, there is a plan in place to create the position of Chief Innovation and Information Officer to focus on keeping the firm at the cutting edge. Not content with being the frontrunner, IBH is set to be a pioneer amongst its peers. Aspiring to be Asia’s leading offshore digital investment bank within the next five years, with assets-under-management to exceed € 1 billion, there’s a bright future ahead of IBH. Highly motivated to provide the best possible service for its broad and exciting range of clients, it looks like this large firm won’t be slowing down any time soon. Contact: Dato’ Howard Choo Company: IBH Investment Bank Limited Website: www.ibhinvestmentbank.com Telephone: 006087- 410730 Oct19577 “...‘The future in a nutshell can be summed up as “the sky is the limit”,’ Howard tells us. This is a function of capital and seems set to grow the Bank into a global powerhouse.‘”