Mumbai: Asia-focused Standard Chartered Bank Thursday announced closure of its loss-making institutional cash equities business with immediate effect and cutting 2,000 more jobs from its retail banking side as part of efforts to save USD 400 million in costs this year.
On retail banking front, the bank said it will continue to focus on key cities and accelerate digitalisation going forward. This has already resulted in around 2,000 job cuts in the last three months, and it expects another 2,000 jobs to be culled during 2015.
According to sources, the British lender has around 50 people in India at its institutional cash equities, equity research and equity capital markets businesses.
Standard Chartered has around 86,000 employees in 70 markets. It is the largest foreign bank in India by branch network.
"The closure of the loss-making institutional cash equities, equity research and equity capital market operations will deliver around USD 100 million of cost savings in 2016, and impact around 200 roles across seven of the Group's 70 markets. In 2015 run-rate savings will broadly offset restructuring costs," a bank statement from London and Singapore said.
However, the statement did not mention which are the seven markets that will be impacted by the move.
StanChart entered the equities business late 2008 after acquiring brokerage Cazenove from JPMorgan. The exit makes StanChart one of the first global banks to completely quit the equity capital markets business.
Announcing the closure of equities business, Group Chief Executive Peter Sands said, "we are continuing to take significant action on costs by exiting or reconfiguring non- core and underperforming businesses, and by increasing the efficiency of our core businesses."
StanChart Deputy Group Chief Executive Mike Rees said, "as part of the ongoing review of the client strategy, it has been decided to exit the institutionally focused cash equities business with immediate effect."
Sands said the bank is on track to deliver at least USD 400 million of cost saving in 2015, and is now focusing on achieving further cost savings in 2016 and beyond.
"This decision is in addition to a number of actions being taken to deliver at least USD 400 million of cost saves targeted for 2015, as communicated to investors last November, which the Group is on track to achieve," the statement said.
The statement further said StanChart Group will continue to develop its capabilities in convertible bonds, equity derivatives, macroeconomic and fixed income research in support of its core businesses.
"We have made good progress in closing 22 branches in the second half of 2014, and expect to achieve the previously announced target of 80-100 closures. These and other actions in retail clients segment will contribute USD 200 million of the planned cost savings in 2015," it said.
The lender has over 10 million retail banking customers in 34 countries, of which 1.6 million are priority retail customers and 4,00,000 business clients.
Sources at StanChart India, however, said reduction in retail banking activity at the group level, announced last November, will have no impact here. Post that announcement, the bank had been expanding and opened its 100th branch in that month alone, they said.
Last year the bank announced sale or closure of its consumer finance businesses in China, Hong Kong, Germany and South Korea, retail bank in Lebanon, retail securities in Taiwan, commercial leasing subsidiaries in Pakistan, private banking in Geneva and various SME portfolios in the UAE.
In addition, the Group sold minority stakes in non- core investments, including Travelex and Fleming Family & Partners.
The cuts come within two months of global rating agency Standard & Poor's hitting the London-based bank with its first-ever downgrade following three profit warnings in less than 12 months and rising losses from bad loans.
In the September quarter, StanChart's operating profit fell 16 percent to USD 1.5 billion.
