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SBMA News

By SBMA

Published on September 25, 2017
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Though the inaugural Asia Pacific Precious Metal Conference (APPMC) – SBMA’s biggest event of the year – is over, we’ve been busy following up with stakeholders both within and outside the Asean region as part of the organisation’s efforts to open up regional markets, as well as to progress our agenda. Here is an update of our activities.

June 4-6

SBMA organises its inaugural Asia Pacific Precious Metal Conference with International Enterprise (IE) Singapore. The conference aims at developing and strengthening a unified body in Southeast Asia for the bullion market. See Page 14 for a summary of the event.

June 22-25

SBMA CEO Albert Cheng represents the organisation at the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair.

June 26

Following the MOU signed at APPMC, SBMA holds discussions with The Chinese Gold & Silver Exchange Society (CGSE) on how it could assist the Myanmar Federation of Mining Associations (MFMA) and CGSE’s collaboration on the development of Myanmar’s gold market.

July 10

Launch of LMEprecious, an initiative by the London Metal Exchange (LME), the World Gold Council and a group of leading industry players to introduce exchange-traded, loco London precious metals products.

July 12

LME joins SBMA as Foreign Associate Member. Read more at bit.ly/2ugBtxm.

July 19

CEO Albert Cheng attends the launch of LMEprecious.

LMEPrecious Launch Party in London
July 24

Executive Director Hawk Namiki and Chair of Finance Committee KL Yap attends the Local Enterprise Association Development (LEAD) forum, a key annual platform for trade associations and chambers (TACs) to network, share experiences as well as explore potential partnerships.

August 11-13

Executive Director Hawk Namiki represents the organisation at the 14th India International Gold Convention in Goa. The three-day event is a platform for the Indian bullion industry to discuss its challenges, articulate possible solutions and set an agenda for the its development.

Participants at the 14th India International Gold Convention held in Goa
August 28

SBMA holds Management Committee meeting.

September 12

LME holds inaugural Singapore Gala, welcoming 27 market from the past two years participants based in Asia, and to reflect the importance of the region for metals trading. The gala will provides a forum for discussion on the state of the precious metals market and the Asia-Pacific region, including economic analysis and debate.

September 26

SBMA holds seminar – The Role of Gold as an Asset Class for the Private Wealth Industry.

Exploratory Meetings

  • ANZ (20 June)
  • World Gold Council (3 July)
  • Copernicus Gold & London Metals
  • Exchange (5 July)
  • C. Steinweg (7 July)
  • Crédit Agricole (18 August)
  • HSBC (18 August)

Membership

Onboarding of the London Metal Exchange.

SBMA’s current membership consists of 37 companies, including three Category 1 members, six Foreign Associate Corporate members and 28 Local Associate Corporate members

UPCOMING EVENTS

15-17 October 2017. Barcelona, Spain.

LBMA/LPPM Precious Metals Conference 2017

Senior representatives from all sectors of the precious metals markets will meet in Barcelona, Spain, for the premier event in the industry, now in its 18th year. Please visit www.lbma.org.uk for registration and event details.

26 – 27 October 2017. Washington, DC, USA.

Silver Industrial Conference 2017

The theme of this year’s conference is “Silver’s Evolving Role in Science and Technology”.

30 – 31 October 2017. London, UK.

LME Week/LME Annual Dinner 2017

More information on the event at https://www.lme.com/news-and-events/events/metals-seminar.

7 – 8 November 2017. Zurich, Switzerland.

2017 Precious Metals Summit Zurich

More informational on the event at http://www.precioussummit.com/event/2017-summit-zurich.

9 – 10 November 2017. Hyatt Regency. The Churchill, London.

2017 Precious Metals Summit London

More informational on the event at http://www.precioussummit.com/event/2017-summit-zurich.

9 – 10 November 2017. Melbourne, Australia.

Precious Metal Investment Symposium

SBMA is proud to be the industry partner of Symposium. Registration and details at http://symposium.net.au.

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Ms Pawan Nawawattanasub

Ms Pawan Nawawattanasub

CEO
YLG Bullion Singapore Pte Ltd

Pawan is the CEO of YLG Bullion Singapore and founder of YLG Bullion International. She has almost 40 years of experience in the jewellery industry and established YLG in Thailand in 2003. In 2012, she brought YLG to Singapore. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Thailand Gold Traders Association, the Thailand Futures Exchange’s Arbitration Committee, and the Rotary Bangkok committee. She holds a master’s degree in Political Science.

SBMA-Albert-secretariat

Albert Cheng

Chief Executive Officer

Albert Cheng joined the World Gold Council in March 1993 as a Regional Manager, becoming Managing Director, Far East in 2003. He retired at the end of March 2015 and was subsequently named its Advisor. He has also been an International Advisor to the Shanghai Gold Exchange since 2002.

His marketing career began with Dentsu Young & Rubicam, Hong Kong in the early 80’s. He began gold marketing in July 1985 when he joined the Royal Canadian Mint as a Regional Manager for Southeast Asia.

He was appointed honorary CEO of SBMA in November 2015. He is responsible for the success and strategic development of SBMA in partner with the Chairman and the Management Committee. Also, he is responsible for maintaining accountability to and the quality of, the Association’s Membership and the annual Asia Pacific Precious Metals Conference (APPMC) as well as representing the interests of the Association in relation to regulators, investors, media and international precious metal markets, and also responsible for all the legal and regulatory aspects of the work of the Association.

SBMA-margare-secretariat

Margaret Wong

BUSINESS DIRECTOR

Margaret Wong, Business Director at SBMA (Singapore Bullion Market Association), brought valuable experience from her previous role at the World Gold Council (WGC). Her tenure at WGC provided her with extensive exposure to the gold community in Singapore and the broader region. This background has been instrumental in establishing strong working relationships within the industry.

Margaret’s role at SBMA encompasses a diverse range of responsibilities. She oversees office management, business support processes, finance, and administrative functions essential for the smooth operation of the team and management committee. Additionally, Margaret handles membership matters, member communications, and addresses public inquiries related to SBMA.

One of Margaret’s key responsibilities is coordinating with the Event Management Company for SBMA’s prestigious annual event, the Asia Pacific Precious Metals Conference. This flagship conference plays a crucial role in the industry, making her involvement pivotal in its success.

Described as resourceful and self-motivated, Margaret Wong brings a wealth of skills and experience to her role at SBMA, ensuring efficient operations and effective engagement within the precious metals community in Singapore and beyond.

SBMA Secretariat-Fabian-Lew

Fabian Lew

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Fabian was a Business Development and Marketing Associate before joining SBMA. He graduated from Singapore Management University with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

He has joined SBMA since February, 2022.

Ms Crystal Xu

Vice President
TD Securities
Based in Singapore, Crystal has over a decade of experience in the metals market, specializing in trading, structuring, and delivering solutions for institutional and commercial clients across Asia. She leads initiatives spanning both physical and derivative products and plays a central role in advancing TD’s regional metals strategy. With deep expertise in market dynamics and strong cross-functional collaboration, she helps drive business growth, product innovation, and risk-informed decision making across the firm’s Asia-Pacific platform.

SECRETARIAT SBMA Clara-Chang

Clara Chang

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE
Clara Chang joins SBMA as the Marketing & Communications Executive, enriching the team with her extensive experience in content creation, social media management, and digital marketing. Prior to joining SBMA, Clara held the position of Marketing Executive at her previous job. She holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University at Buffalo, one in International Trade and another in Geographical Information Science. Her core duties will include maintaining the SBMA website, managing the quarterly Crucible newsletter, among other responsibilities.

SECRETARIAT SBMA-Emily-Oh

Emily Oh

OPERATIONS & ADMIN EXECUTIVE
Emily Oh is the Operations & Admin Executive, a seasoned professional who values teamwork and effective communication. She is skilled at adapting to new challenges and takes a proactive and resourceful approach to every task. Before joining SBMA, Emily had experience coordinating international travel arrangements and spearheading community initiatives. Her role at SBMA will be providing operational and administrative support for projects and other matters to the team.

Singapore Bullion Market Association Secretariat-Lee-Jia-Yi

Lee Jia Yi

OPERATIONS & ADMIN EXECUTIVE
Before joining SBMA, Jia Yi worked as an Admin & Reporting Officer in her previous role. She holds a Diploma in Business & Social Enterprise from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Jia Yi is responsible for managing and maintaining physical and digital files in SBMA, supporting invoicing processes, reconciling receivables and payables, coordinating meetings and conferences. Additionally, she will provide support to the team and assist the Business Director in managing the Association’s office operations and general administrative activities.

SBMA-Shaokai-Fan

Mr Shaokai Fan

Head of Asia-Pacific (ex China) and Global Head of Central Banks
World Gold Council
Shaokai Fan is the Global Head of Central Banks at the World Gold Council, responsible for advising governments on gold matters, and enhancing the gold market through engagement, dialogue, and thought leadership. He works directly with central banks and sovereign wealth funds on investment considerations. Prior to this position, Shaokai held multiple roles at Standard Chartered Bank, including Director for Asia Strategic Initiatives and Associate-Director for Public Sector coverage. Shaokai holds a Masters of Public Administration from Columbia University and the London School of Economics, and an undergraduate degree in finance and economics from New York University.

SBMA-Committee-Alan-Liew

Mr Alan Liew

Head of Bullion & Commodities Trading
United Overseas Bank Limited
Alan is Head of Bullion and Commodities Trading for Group Trading in Global Markets, United Overseas Bank (UOB). Alan joined UOB and started the bank’s commodities trading business in 2014, previously he spent eight years in Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) trading both precious and base metals. During his tenure at SCB, he obtained the SGE gold trader licence and was part of the pioneering team for the SGE business and the FX quantitative trading team. Prior to trading, he worked for Monetary Authority of Singapore in the Financial Risk Management Division. He holds a BSc (Hon) in Computer Science at National University of Singapore and a MSc in Financial Engineering at Nanyang Technological University.

SBMA Committee-KL-Yap

Mr KL Yap

General Manager, Singapore Refining Business Unit
Metalor Technologies (Singapore) Pte Ltd
KL YAP is the General Manager of Metalor Technologies (Singapore) Pte Ltd’s Singapore Refining Business Unit. He joined Metalor in 2013, initially in Refining Sales. In 2014, he became Refining Business Unit Manager, leading the development of a new precious metal refinery. KL was Vice Chairman of SBMA from 2017 to 2021, now serving as Chairman. With a degree in business commerce, finance, and marketing, he brings prior experience from refinery and heavy industries.

SBMA Committee-Photo-Vinh-Nguyen

Mr Vinh Nguyen

Head of Precious Metals, Asia
StoneX APAC Pte Ltd

Vinh Nguyen joined StoneX Group in Singapore at the beginning of 2008 and responsible for its APAC precious metals activities since 2019 until now.

SBMA Committee-Photo-Kazuya-Naoki

Mr Kazuya Naoki

Head of Metals, Asia
ICBC Standard Bank Plc, Singapore Branch

Kazuya (Kaz) Naoki is the Head of Metals, Asia of ICBC Standard Bank in Singapore and is responsible for the precious & base metals sales and trading in the region. He joined Standard Bank Plc Tokyo Branch in 2008 and was relocated to its Singapore Branch in 2013 whose controlling stake was acquired by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in 2015. Prior to joining Standard Bank, Kaz spent 11 years focusing on commodity trading and risk management with Mitsui & Co in Tokyo, Sydney and London. Kaz has been serving on the SBMA Management Committee since 2016.

SBMA Committee-Photo-Andrew-Clarke

Mr Andrew Clarke

Head of Brink’s Global Services
Brink’s Global Services Pte Ltd

Andrew Clarke is the Head of BGS (Brink’s Global Services) for Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. He has held various leadership positions throughout his career in secure logistics and risk management with Brink’s, which started in Hong Kong in 2010. Andrew relocated to Singapore in 2018 to expand the precious metals line of business along with Brink’s portfolio of services and industries.

SBMA Committee-Photo-Raman-Walia

Mr Raman Walia

Executive Director, Head of Commodities Sales – APAC
JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A.

Raman is Executive Director and Head of Commodities Sales, APAC, for J.P. Morgan. He joined JPMorgan in 2008 in New York, moved to Singapore in 2011, and helped expand the precious metals business in the region. Raman has an MBA from Cornell University, and likes to travel in his spare time.

SBMA-Committee-khun nuttapong

Mr Nuttapong Hirunyasiri

CEO
MTS Gold Global Trading Pte Ltd
Nuttapong Hirunyasiri is the CEO of MTS Gold Group, one of Thailand’s top 10 companies and top 3 bullion companies. He started MTS Gold Group’s first overseas office in Singapore and has been expanding the group business internationally. He focuses on product development and innovation for gold investment, with the aim of being a leader in providing the full suite of gold investment services in the ASEAN region.

SBMA-Committee-Nikos

Mr Nikos Kavalis

Managing Director
Metals Focus Singapore Pte Ltd
Nikos Kavalis is a founding partner of Metals Focus. He has over 20 years of experience in precious metals, having previously worked for the Royal Bank of Scotland and GFMS. Since September 2019, Nikos has been based in Singapore, where he also runs the local subsidiary of Metals Focus.