Return to UBS tops private banking poll
Merrill Lynch Private Banking
Merrill Lynch Private Banking leads Asia in offering hedge fund services for the private-banking market, according to Euromoney's poll. Cecilia Lee, director of Asia Pacific sales at Merrill Lynch (pictured), says that one of the reasons for that dominance is that the bank has enjoyed a big head start on its competition. “We've been showing hedge funds investments to our clients for more than 15 years,” she says, “so we're much larger in hedge funds than the other houses on the street.”
Merrill Lynch takes private-banking hedge funds business seriously, with a dedicated team of analysts based in New York conducting due diligence on the funds available before they are shown to clients.
Clients have also had to climb a steep learning curve over the years, says Lee. “There have been some rough times caused by a lot of volatility: that has required a lot of hand-holding,” she says.
Merrill Lynch's approach to hedge fund investing is highly specific. “We want clients to understand you mustn't chase a hedge fund for performance,” says Lee.