Corridors in focus: Our People – Chonawut Mick Prasatsak

Singapore-based coverage banker Mick Prasatsak explains how connected expertise and trusted relationships help companies navigate cross-border opportunities.

A broader investor base can diversify funding, a new market can unlock growth and an emerging capital corridor can create financing options that were not previously available. Yet every opportunity raises important questions: Is the timing right? How might regulation evolve? What will investors expect? Can the opportunity be executed in a way that supports the company’s strategy?

These questions are central to Mick’s work as Executive Director, International Corporates, Corporate & Investment Banking at Standard Chartered. Over more than two decades in banking, he has helped companies navigate changing capital markets, unfamiliar regulatory environments and new avenues for growth.

Effective advice requires more than understanding a transaction. It requires a clear view of the client’s strategy, the markets involved and the factors that will determine the quality of execution.

Cross-border decisions are rarely made with perfect information. For Mick, a coverage banker must identify not only what is known, but also what remains uncertain.

Those unknowns have practical consequences. They can influence when to raise capital, how investors may respond, what diligence is required before entering a market and how execution risk should be managed. Surfacing them early gives clients time to test assumptions, understand regulatory requirements, assess investor appetite and prepare for different outcomes.

The objective is not to eliminate uncertainty, but to understand it well enough to make a considered decision.

Watch: Mick share about navigating uncertainty and helping clients make confident decisions across borders.

Although the coverage banker may be the client’s principal point of contact, the relationship is supported by specialists across capital markets, products, sectors, legal, compliance and individual countries. Coverage brings those perspectives together around the client’s objective.

For a company operating across jurisdictions, this may mean combining local regulatory knowledge with investor insight, sector expertise and capital markets capabilities, while considering how a decision in one market could affect liquidity, capital or operations elsewhere in the organisation.

The value lies not simply in having more information, but in connecting the right information and expertise to give the client a clearer basis for action.

The development of the offshore renminbi market illustrates how coverage banking can help clients access new pools of capital, broaden their investor base and create greater flexibility in funding future growth.

In May 2025, PSA International issued its debut public CNH bond – CNY1.25 billion of 10-year notes – with Standard Chartered acting as joint lead manager and bookrunner. This is the first public 10-year CNH bond by an ASEAN corporate. In June 2026, Singapore Airlines also followed with their inaugural CNY1.5 billion five-year offshore bond, with Standard Chartered again among the joint lead managers and bookrunners.

The transactions are the visible outcome; much of the work begins earlier. Entering a new capital market requires an understanding of investor expectations, market conditions, regulation, pricing and how the funding fits within the company’s broader capital strategy. It may involve testing market appetite and connecting specialists across jurisdictions before the client decides whether and when to proceed.

By the time an issuance reaches the market, many of the most important questions have already been considered. The benefit can also extend beyond the initial transaction by widening investor relationships and establishing another financing option for the future.

Trust develops through this process: through candid discussion, informed challenge and a shared understanding of what the client is trying to achieve.

Beyond banking, Mick’s passion for polo has taught him to read a fast-moving field and respond decisively.

The parallel with coverage banking is clear. No one sees the entire field alone; each participant brings a different perspective. What matters is recognising change early, sharing insight and bringing together the right expertise at the right moment. It is less about predicting every eventuality than responding intelligently as the field evolves.

Cross-border growth creates opportunity, but also complexity. Clients must weigh regulation, market conditions, capital structure and execution, often across several jurisdictions at once.

Effective coverage connects client ambition with local knowledge, specialist expertise and a credible path to execution.

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