JPMorgan Chase & Co, one of the largest investment banks globally, has appointed Bob Elfring as its new Vice Chairman of Investment Banking for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to bolster its presence in the M&A market. According to Reuters, Elfring is a former Bank of America Executive who led the EMEA investment banking affairs of the financial institution between 2012 and 2018.

The new JPMorgan executive will oversee the investment bank’s operations outside the UK. He will look forward to putting his focus into the Benelux region, working with Cassander Verwey, senior country officer for the Netherlands, the memo quoted by Reuters says.

Prior to his role at JPMorgan, Elfring was responsible for the investment banking coverage in Northern Europe and Benelux for Credit Suisse. Recently, he joined the equity firm, CVC Capital Partners as an advisor.

Moreover, he held some senior positions at Amsterdamse Investeringsbank, Rabobank and MeesPierson, having developed most of his experience within the Dutch market. Plus, Elfring started his career in the Netherlands at ABN AMRO.

As JPMorgan’s Vice Chairman of Investment Banking for the EMEA Region, he will report to Dorothee Blessing and Conor Hillery, the investment bank’s Co-Heads for the EMEA region. Currently, Elfring is based in Switzerland, who moved to such a country after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, where he developed part of his career.

Recent Hirings

Per the recent key roles’ appointments from the investment bank, financial industry analyst, James Chen left Investopedia in February after three years to take up his new role at JPMorgan as the Head of Content Studio for the Wall Street Giant’s US Wealth Management division.

In April, Finance Magnates reported that JP Morgan partnered with Singapore’s leading bank, DBS, and investment company, Temasek, to launch a new cross-border payments platform based on blockchain technology. Dubbed ‘Partior’, the newly formed company is planning to introduce more efficient digital clearing and settlement solutions through blockchain technology.