Hong Kong--9 Aug--PRNewswire Asia-AsiaNet At the conclusion of a strategic review of its Asia Pacific (ex-Japan) operations, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DrKW) announced that its equities businesses in Hong Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan will be closed. The equity sales, trading and research and Online Markets businesses of DrKW will be affected. The strategic review will result in approximately 350 redundancies representing approximately 4% of DrKW's global headcount. DrKW will maintain its international M&A advisory, debt and private equity businesses in the region and will continue to provide local support for clients of these business lines in Asia where it will continue to employ approximately 300 employees in seven countries in Asia. Dresdner Bank has taken the decision to create a new division, Corporates and Markets, combining its international investment banking expertise with its European corporate banking and capital markets activities. "This restructuring reflects the conviction of Dresdner Bank and Corporates and Markets' management that its responsibility to its clients, shareholders and remaining staff is best served by focusing on those markets and products in which the organisation maintains -- and can leverage -- a material competitive advantage", said Baudouin CROONENBERGHS, CEO Asia Pacific. For more information, please contact: Helen Wright Head of Marketing & Communications, Asia Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein Tel: +852-2238-8634/ +81-3-5403-9562 Diana Footitt Citigate Dewe Rogerson Tel: +852-2533-4615 Matthew McGrath Citigate Dewe Rogerson Tel: +852-2528-8989 SOURCE: Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein