JPMorgan Bolsters Canadian Equities Team with CPPIB Hires

JPMorgan Chase has hired Chris Finora, former head of equities trading at Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), to lead its Canadian Cash Equities Trading franchise. This move comes as the US bank expands its presence in Canadian equities and aims to capture growing investment opportunities in the country.

Finora joins JPMorgan this month, bringing over 27 years of experience from his previous role at TD Securities. The bank has increased its Canadian director headcount by 20% in the last year, with 18 new hires, including executives and managing directors.

JPMorgan's expansion in Canada is seen as a statement of confidence in Prime Minister Mark Carney's government, which aims to attract $1-trillion in investment over the next five years. The bank believes that inbound Canadian investment will accelerate over the next decade and wants to be better positioned to capture these flows.

JPMorgan has been active in Canada for about eight years, after regulatory changes allowed it to establish a Canadian equities team. The bank has worked on major deals recently, including Rockpoint Gas Storage's TSX IPO and Alimentation Couche-Tard's deal to buy Poland's Zabka.