The Canada-headquartered financial services group, which includes wealth management in its offering, said a large number of its staff have joined a global professional services club, seen as a badge of high standards.

Manulife Hong Kong says the number of its advisors who are qualified to be members of a global professional association called the Million Dollar Round Table rose by 16 per cent last year, and now stands at over 400.

Among the additional members of MDRT are five “Top of the Table” members; 22 new members are “Court of the Table” members. Founded in 1927, the Million Dollar Round Table is a global association of around 42,000 of the world’s life-insurance and financial-services professionals from more than 470 companies in 71 countries and territories.

Manulife's data highlights how firms are seeking to stress the professional qualifications and standards of their employees in a world of rising regulatory requirements and client demands.

Canada-headquartered Manulife, which provides services including wealth management, also said it will host the Manulife MDRT Peak Convention, described as its “biggest-ever agency-distribution event globally”, which will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 28 February to 3 March. Approximately 2,000 Manulife advisors and executives from across Asia will head to the educative convention, which the firm said focuses on building the skills and knowledge of the company’s highest-performing advisors in the region. Top advisors will be recognised at a special gala dinner.