The Standard Chartered jobs with high demand but unimpressive pay

Standard Chartered has been having an impressive 2025 in both its investment banking and wealth management divisions. Revenues in both divisions are up double digits year-on-year according to Q3 results published today. However, the retention strategy for one of Standard Chartered's most demanded roles in wealth is a little unorthodox.

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Speaking on the bank's Q3 investor call, CEO Bill Winters said that Standard Chartered is an "extremely attractive destination" for wealth management relationship managers, but "it's not because we pay a premium... we don't." Instead, the appeal of joining Standard Chartered as a relationship manager is its platform, which makes it "easier [for them] to deliver strong results."

This doesn't mean Standard Chartered's relationship managers are underpaid. Winters said they receive a "fair wage," and, because of the platform, they have the potential to make more money by more easily becoming a high-performer. 

The importance of a good platform can sometimes be understated. Credit Suisse's wealth team in 2022 is a cautionary tale of what happens when you don't have one; clients in Asia faced a wait of up to eight months to open their accounts due to compliance issues with the bank's platform, something even the best relationship managers might struggle to deal with. 

According to LinkedIn, Standard Chartered has more than 600 relationship managers across Singapore and Hong Kong, with the majority residing in the latter city. Globally, the bank has hired more than 200 relationship managers in the past year, but just a small fraction of them have been in Hong Kong or Singapore.

In Standard Chartered's investment bank, it has also benefitted by being a destination for talent that rival banks don't want. Winters said the bank's sustainable finance team has been "setting new records every quarter... despite the shift in sentiment in some parts of the world." Earlier this year, we spotted Standard Chartered hiring a sustainable finance MDs cut by HSBC as it rolled back on its ESG commitments.

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