Merrill boosts structured products team in Asia

Merrill Lynch has bolstered its Asia-Pacific debt markets team with the addition of six new hires around the region. The newcomers will focus on structured products for both asset and liability customers.

Tatsuhiko Iga joins as a director of the Japan issuer client group, focusing on corporate bond origination and liability management solutions for Japanese corporates. Formerly with UBS Warburg, Iga will be based at Merrill Lynch’s Tokyo office. Also in Japan, Shinichi Kaneko joins from Bear Stearns as a director of the Japan strategic solutions group. He will focus on the structuring and marketing of asset and liability products for financial institutions and retail investors.

Yasuhide Aoyagi and Koji Fujiwara both join the firm as vice-presidents in the Tokyo office. Previously with Banc of America, Aoyagi will be part of the investor client group focusing on structured credit and rate sales to Japanese regional financial institutions. Fujiwara, meanwhile, will be part of the rates group with a focus on Japanese government bond and options trading. He joins from French bank BNP Paribas.

Elsewhere around the region, Sreenivasan Iyer has been appointed a director in the Asia-Pacific strategic solutions group, which structures asset and liability solutions for corporates and financial institutions in South East Asia. Iyer, formerly with CSFB, will be based in Singapore. And in Sydney, Dharma Murugiah has been appointed a director in the global new product development group, focusing on the development of structured investment and financing products for Asia-Pacific clients. He joins from Dutch bank ABN Amro.