RBC Capital Markets continues expansion in Asia

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2009
Author: Emily Perryman, Hedgeweek.com

RBC Capital Markets, the corporate and investment banking arm of Royal Bank of Canada, has hired Mike Bass as a managing director and head of fixed income and currencies, Asia (non-Japan). 

It has also appointed Mark Otis Zownir as a managing director and head of USD rates trading, Asia. 

Both Bass and Zownir will be based in RBC Capital Markets’ Hong Kong office.
 
Bass brings over 20 years’ experience in fixed income and currencies to RBC Capital Markets. He joins RBC Capital Markets from Standard Chartered Bank, where he was most recently head of commodities in Singapore. Prior to this, Bass held positions at HVB and Rabobank in Asia. 

Zownir joins RBC Capital Markets with over 15 years of rates trading experience. He was most recently head of Yen rates trading at Citigroup in Tokyo, having previously worked in SSA trading in Citigroup’s New York and London offices.
 
Harry Samuel, co-head of fixed income and currencies and regional head of global markets, RBC Capital Markets, says: “As we move into the next phase of our global expansion, Asia offers tremendous growth opportunities. Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo are crucial locations for our fixed income and currencies product build-out.”
 
Over the last 12 months RBC Capital Markets has hired in excess of 320 people throughout its global capital markets operations.