Corridors in focus: Our people – Christine Chan

“Twenty years ago, I was working at the docks as a management trainee. Today, I help connect China and Europe’s biggest financial players.”

10 February 2026

3 mins

Corporate & investment bankingFinancial institutions and investor groupsTrade corridors

Corridors in focus: Our people. In this video series, we feature the enablers from Corporate & Investment Banking, who play a crucial role in supporting the growth of our clients’ businesses across multiple markets. This month, we spotlight Christine Chan, a China – Europe corridor banker for financial institutions.

Watch the video below to learn more about Christine’s story.

Twenty years ago, I was working at the docks as a management trainee. Today, I help connect China and Europe’s biggest financial players.

Christine Chan

Corridor Banker, China – Europe (Financial Institutions)

Twenty years ago, Christine Chan did not plan to work in banking.

Her career, as she puts it, started “on the docks.” But watching ships move across borders left a lasting impression. What stayed with her wasn’t just the scale of global trade, but the idea that connection – done well – keeps the world moving. It sparked a curiosity about how markets connect, and what it takes to make those connections work.

Fast forward to today – Christine works with financial institutions operating between China and Europe, helping them navigate one of the most complex and strategically important routes in global finance.

Learning how markets connect

“The Hong Kong stockmarket was booming in the ‘90s”, Christine recalled. Financial services felt electric. “At that time in Hong Kong, Standard Chartered was one of the biggest note-issuing banks with a dedicated financial institutions team,” she added.

Christine’s career proceeded to unfold across continents, shaped by movement. Each role brought a new market, a new regulatory environment, a new way of working. Those lessons now define how she approaches cross-border finance – not as a series of transactions, but as a system of relationships.

Christine engaging with clients from Bank of China London Branch

Connections built by people

In 2022, Standard Chartered expanded its corridor banking model to financial institutions, linking teams across London, Frankfurt, Dubai, Singapore and the US. The challenges lie not in distance but difference in regulatory regimes, client expectations and market norms that vary from one jurisdiction to the next.

Making those connections work require trust, coordination and people who can translate complexity into clarity.

In charting growth across borders, progress is rarely loud. It is measured, deliberate – and built on relationships that hold.

We are not just bankers. We are advisors. Ambassadors. Connectors in every sense.

Christine Chan

Corridor Banker, China – Europe (Financial Institutions)