Following the integration of the two banks, Hsinchu International Bank (Hsinchu) and Standard Chartered Taiwan branches were renamed as Standard Chartered Bank (Taiwan) Limited, giving the Standard Chartered group the largest international banking network in Taiwan with 86 branches and 377 ATMs.

Standard Chartered Group Chief Executive Peter Sands, said: "The union of Standard Chartered and Hsinchu is the first integration of a Taiwan bank and an international bank. We are integrating three months ahead of our original schedule."

Sands was speaking in Hsinchu, at the launch of the first of the bank's new flagship branches.

Standard Chartered Bank (Taiwan) yesterday also announced plans to upgrade 62 of its branches at a cost of more than US$50 million to provide international-standard branches for its customers.