Wall Street major JPMorgan Chase will continue hiring in the Asia-Pacific at a similar pace in 2027, after revenue at its corporate bank in the region grew by well above 20% in 2026.
The American bank is close to completing a roughly 15% increase in Asia-Pacific corporate banking staff this year, after expanding the team by 20% in 2025, Oliver Brinkmann and Kerwin Clayton, the regional heads, told Reuters during an interview at JPMorgan’s Singapore office.
“The hiring will cover teams serving mid-sized and large companies, the innovation economy, financial institutions, and non-bank financial institutions,” the duo said.
“We intend to continue to hire at a similar pace in 2027. It’s across all of our businesses. It differs throughout the region, but it’s in a lot of countries,” Clayton added further.
JPMorgan’s corporate banking business in Asia-Pacific has grown well above 20% year-to-date, helped by the region’s companies expanding abroad, along with rising investment in artificial intelligence (AI), data centres and supply chains.
“This year it is even stronger. It’s well above 20% across APAC and across all sectors,” Brinkmann remarked.
Markets including Taiwan, South Korea, China, and Australia have exceeded those growth rates, the executives said.
Breaking down the regional growth trajectory further, Brinkmann said Southeast Asia was growing by more than 20%, with Malaysia benefiting from foreign investment linked to AI and data centers and Singapore acting as a regional connector and hub.
“We see a lot of inquiries for data center or GPU financing. It’s really quite active. The market is very active,” the senior official noted.
JPMorgan is also putting more capital into trade finance and working capital finance, with the goal of helping companies pay for goods moving across borders, as trade within Asia increases and the bank simultenously builds its trade finance business.
JPMorgan’s growing Asia-Pacific push aligns with broader industry trends. Global banks have been proactively adding bankers in the region, particularly in areas tied to technology, cross-border transactions, and the fast-growing middle-market segment.
JPMorgan, however, has put its specific focus on innovation economy clients and non-bank financial institutions, with fintech firms, payment companies, and digital platforms becoming the new client base.