We bring you the most read stories in the past week from our news desk.
In Apac's increasingly competitive structured products market, Crédit Agricole CIB (Cacib) is focusing on innovative payoff structures to differentiate itself. The bank also emphasises on single-stock and thematic structures as well as digital distribution channels since structured products demand reaches record levels across the region.
Most of our competitors regularly show thematic ideas, but we focused more on innovation at the payout level, which our clients appreciate - Rishad Schaefer
"Most of our competitors regularly show thematic ideas, but we focused more on innovation at the payout level, which our clients appreciate," Rishad Schaefer, head of equity sales and structuring for Asia at Cacib told SRP.
The bank was recognised at the SRP Apac Awards, winning Best House Asian Equities, Best House South Korea - Hedge Provider and Deal of the Year.
The structured products boom in this region also shown in Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing's 2026 interim report. It recorded a strong first half of 2026, with 21,840 newly listed derivative warrants (DWs), CBBCs and warrants, up eight percent year-on-year (YoY). Average daily turnover rose to HK$19.5 billion (US$ 2.49 billion), growing 12% YoY. Overseas underlyings continued to expand in this period, with the introduction of DWs on US-listed stocks.
Turn to the west, investment manager VanEck has launched its first buffer ETF, marking its entry into the fast-growing defined outcome ETF market. The fund offers capped upside exposure to US equities alongside a downside buffer over a defined investment period, targeting investors seeking a balance between market participation and risk protection.
European advisory and financial engineering firm Hilbert Investment Solutions has introduced a Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI)-approved structured products academy aimed at UK financial advisers. The programme offers accredited professional development modules, with the goal of improving adviser understanding and supporting broader adoption of structured investments.
Market reviews
US structured product sales volumes reached approximately US$19.5 billion in July, up 34% YoY. Goldman Sachs regained its position as the leading issuer. While products linked to interest-rate underlyings recorded their weakest sales since October 2020, products tied to the share of Nvidia achieved the highest volumes.
UK public structured product sales reached an estimated £128 million (US$175 million) in July. Although sales declined slightly from June, issuance remained above the 2026 monthly average, with Barclays maintaining its leadership position and FTSE indices continuing to dominate as the preferred underlying assets.
Italian structured product sales reached an estimated €12 billion (US$14.1 billion) in Q2 2026, down from both the previous quarter and the prior year. While the issuer landscape remained largely unchanged, products linked to baskets of equity indices gained significant traction, with sales volumes rising almost 120% YoY.
China's retail structured deposit market remained resilient in July, with estimated sales increasing 27% month-on-month to CNY141.6 billion (US$21.1 billion), despite slightly lower issuance volumes. Foreign exchange (FX) rates remained the top underlying asset class, while investor interest in commodities-linked structures continued to drop.
FX-linked structured products generated an estimated US$800 billion in global sales in 2025, accounting for 42.4% of issuance. While FX remained the second-largest asset class after equities, its market share declined as equity-linked products grew even faster, despite continued strong demand for currency-linked structures.
People and products
The Nordic asset manager Danske Bank Asset Management has strengthened its quantitative investment strategies (QIS) and portfolio solutions capabilities with the appointment of Rasmus Lind and Jonas Bovbjerg as chief portfolio managers, recruited from UBS and Goldman Sachs respectively.
SRP reviewed a range of structured products across the world with strike dates between 23-29 August this year. The highlights include Amundi Investment Solutions has launched Crédit Agricole Indicia (Mai 2026) in France, a six-year protected structured fund targeting affluent and private banking clients.
Regulation and analysis
Franch regulators Autorité des marchés financiers and Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution have reiterated concerns around structured product fee transparency, performance reporting and target-market compliance in their 2025 annual report.
SRP presents an analysis examines Greek exposures such as delta, vega and vanna across major international stocks including ASML, Nestlé, Novartis, Roche and Alibaba H Shares. It highlights how changes in sensitivities are often driven by new structured product issuance or increased notional exposure rather than market movements alone.
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