Standard Chartered’s Verlaine wins Global Custodian Asia 2026

Francois Verlaine, who leads securities services for Standard Chartered in Asia, has been named Industry Person of the Year at the 2026 Global Custodian Asia awards. The recognition covers his work on custody, fund services and post-trade operations across the region.

The award citation cited efforts to improve client service, upgrade platforms and support cross-border business for asset managers and institutional investors. The award is part of the 2026 Asia awards and recognises contributions to custody, fund administration, clearing and related asset servicing activities.

Under Verlaine’s oversight, Standard Chartered expanded its custody footprint in key Asian markets and modernised operational infrastructure. Initiatives included increased automation, faster connectivity with local market utilities, and upgrades to middle- and back-office processes aimed at shortening settlement cycles and reducing operational risk for clients.

Bank sources and the award citation pointed to recent projects such as enhanced links to local depositories, broader fund administration services and greater investment in cloud-based platforms and straight-through processing. The projects were presented as measures to improve efficiency for clients managing multi-market custody and to support cross-border fund distribution within Asia.

Verlaine credited his team for prioritising client needs and strengthening operational resilience. He also noted that collaboration with market infrastructures and regulators was part of addressing fragmented settlement and reporting standards across Asian markets.

Winners of the Asia awards were selected based on submissions, market performance, product development and feedback from institutional clients and market participants. Standard Chartered is one of several international banks offering custody, fund administration and middle-office outsourcing in the region, and has continued to invest in digital reporting and environmental, social and governance-related client services.

Industry participants noted ongoing priorities in the custody sector include further investment in technology, closer cooperation with local market operators and solutions that can scale for multi-market fund distribution.