In Focus

Malaysia's Q1 loan growth set to stall as businesses turn cautious

Malaysia's Q1 loan growth set to stall as businesses turn cautious

Banks’ loan loss provisioning is also expected to rise between $203.82m to 1b in Q1 2026F.
47 minutes ago

Only 2 in 5 small businesses use instant payments for refunds

Global Payments says gig pay usage reaches 63% amongst APAC businesses.
1 hour ago

Standard Chartered sets up AI lab to test banking use cases

The $11.7m tie-up with A*STAR targets wealth support and fraud control.
1 day ago

How Thailand card payments market will hit $99b in 2030

GlobalData projects the market to reach about $68.1b in 2026.
1 day ago

How can Thai banks close the gap in wealth fee income?

KBank and SCB are best placed in wealth services with digital tools and segmentation.

Nonbank finance, AI and war top APAC financial institutions’ risks in 2026

A protracted war could raise their credit losses by 25% or $180b, S&P warned.
2 days ago

Hong Kong cards push cash aside in $175b market

Card payment value grew at a 7.6% CAGR from 2021 to 2025.
2 days ago

HitPay eyes bigger share of traveller payments via QR

Borderless QR lets tourists pay in home wallets with local settlement.
3 days ago

APAC payments forecast hits $24t by 2033

The region is projected to capture 36% of worldwide outbound flows.
3 days ago

Asia fintech hits $1.7b as global investment slump deepens

Region closed 150 transactions placing third behind US and Europe.

Japanese banks build hidden risk in offshore credit push

Currently, direct exposure to US private credit appears limited at Japan’s major institutions, Fitch said.

Thai banks hit $0.38t loan book as profit falls 2.2%

Krung Thai Bank held the largest portfolio at THB2.80t after a 4.2% yearly increase.

Indian banks’ outlook rests on reforms and underwriting gains

A prolonged Middle East tensions could pressure growth and margins, however.

How APAC M&A advisers ranked as BofA topped $28b in deals

Rothschild & Co and BNP Paribas followed closely behind the leader in total value.

Thai bank earnings set to weaken in challenging 2026

Net interest margins will compress, and loan growth will be subdued.

SEA leads fintech density as Asia gap widens

Singapore recorded 619 fintech companies per 1 million people.