Standard Chartered Bank today announced that it had launched an integrated direct and regional custody platform for its investor and intermediary clients to capture growth opportunities in the fast-growing markets across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Introducing the 'Single Touch' Regional Custody capability, clients can now connect seamlessly across the Bank's custody network of 39 markets in a manner that combines the benefits of a direct local account interface with regional reporting and servicing aggregation. Domestic clients in Asia can also seamlessly move from a single market high touch focus to a multi-market offshore hub coverage model, maintaining the benefits of a direct account model while supporting investment flows that are increasingly expanding cross-border.

The rollout of a standardised platform ensures that clients can experience unmatched service consistency and seamless upgrades across the various markets. Responding to the dynamic nature of the industry, the platform has been designed to offer high degrees of customisation in client messaging, servicing and reporting, combined with enhanced levels of straight-through processing.

Investors and intermediaries that are seeking access to emerging markets are increasingly impacted by the challenges resulting from evolving local market conditions and mounting regulatory changes.

The new platform has been launched domestically in the Philippines and Vietnam and for Regional Custody in Singapore. The platform will be incrementally rolled out across Standard Chartered's entire custody network by 2014.