HSBC has appointed Sean Aston as head of trade finance, Singapore. In addition to his Singapore trade finance remit, Aston will mainly be responsible for driving the development and delivery of complex trade finance solutions covering structured trade and commodity finance in the southern part of the Asia-Pacific region, comprising countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and India.

Alistair Currie, head of trade services, Asia-Pacific, says: “The trade and supply chain finance market is fast expanding in Asia and there are significant growth opportunities. Sean’s appointment demonstrates the bank’s commitment to serve the needs of the clients better in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region through the continuous enhancement of our trade finance proposition.”

Aston has extensive experience in the field of trade and commodity finance. He has worked for Chase Manhattan Bank in London, Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as Tokai Bank and Noble Group in Singapore. He joins HSBC from National Australia Bank, where he was head of specialised finance for Asia.