Commentary

China banks in 2017: No rebound in sight, rising risks for smaller banks

China bank risk is on the rise. The unweaving focus by both markets and regulators – ranging from individual bank to financial system stability as a whole – reflects a sense of urgency that actions are needed to contain the risk. This is no easy job. And at least in the government’s mind, it requires not only a trade-off between short-run profitability and long-term system risk of commercial banks, but also balancing the interest between different players in the financial industry, for example, insurers and asset management corporations (AMCs).

Commentary

China banks in 2017: No rebound in sight, rising risks for smaller banks

Commentary

From paper to plastic: A look at India's demonetisation

As millions of people from rural India march into the cashless world, India could face a credit card crisis as early as 2019.

Commentary

Why Asian bankers are thinking differently about risk than their global counterparts

According to a recent global survey of how banks approach risk management,1 Asian bank executives are thinking differently about future risk priorities than their global peers. This divergence reflects the region’s less interventionist regulatory environment and more robust digital environment.

Commentary

Robo-advisors: Booming in Japan

This post addresses trends in Fintech, with a focus on Robo-advisors and the unique attributes of Japan's financial market.

Commentary

Japanese banks and US$ liquidity: Squeezed between expensive deposits and the BoJ

For the last few years, Japanese banks have aggressively expanded their assets overseas, which has helped increased their stubbornly low profitability even after the introduction of negative interest rates by BoJ. Such a successful overseas strategy, profitability-wise, may be at risk due to US$ liquidity developments at a global level.

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How can banks deal with the challenges of digitalisation in Asia?

New technology companies looking to break into the financial services sector are bringing fresh competition for banks – prompting a new era of digital innovation. But how can banks take advantage of this innovation and stay ahead of the competition?

Commentary

China's evolving bank restructuring: From loan-to-equity to loan-to-convertible bond swaps

It has been two years since Chinese banks have seen their luck turn sour with raising NPLs and decreasing profits. Preoccupied by other issues – including the collapse of the stock market and a huge loss of reserves after a mini-devaluation – the Chinese government only turned to the banks' situation early this year. Most of the actions taken have been piecemeal and uncoordinated.

Commentary

Supporting trade finance in Asia

61% of respondents to the ICC Banking Commission’s latest Global Survey reported a shortfall in global trade finance. And US$700 billion of the unmet demand comes from developing Asia. Here we examine the measures that can be taken to address the trade finance gap across the world’s largest continent.

Commentary

Blueprints for Japan's next-generation payment infrastructure

This post examines initiatives to accelerate the development of Japan's payment infrastructure through the lens of the Zengin System—the heart of this infrastructure.

Commentary

Banks are fighting to remain relevant

Global banking is facing a perfect storm. In addition to weak economic growth, major regulatory challenges, and historically low interest rates, the industry also faces an intensifying threat stemming from changing consumer perceptions of traditional banks coupled with the emergence of new competitors offering attractive, personalised products.

Commentary

Legacy modernisation in Japan's financial industry

This post examines the current status and future outlook of legacy modernisation in Japan's financial industry based on a survey Celent conducted in 2015. The survey targeted insurers, financial institutions, and brokers. Additional information was gathered in follow-up interviews through 2016.

Commentary

Regulation of domestic debit card transactions in Thailand

Back in 2012, Thailand's Electronic Transactions Commission issued regulations that mandated domestic processing of domestic debit card transactions with debit cards issued in Thailand. It granted a grace period of one year for service providers to meet the new requirements.

Commentary

Stressed assets of Indian banks: Way forward

As per Reserve Bank of India, the Indian banking system has gross stressed assets of 11.5% of total assets, as of March 2016. Amongst the various categories of banks, the percentage for public sector banks is, as expected, highest at 14.5%.

Commentary

Redesigning the Indian monetary policy framework

The classical central banker’s dilemma is how to address the growth versus inflation conflict. The prevailing orthodoxy has remained an independent monetary policy using base interest rates as the primary management tool.

Commentary

The digital challenge from a Philippine banking perspective

It is almost a cliché by now when banks cite Know-Your-Customer (KYC) processes and controls as the biggest risk management challenge when going digital but it might be even more so in the case of the Philippines.

Commentary

Slower markets don't necessarily spell doom & gloom for jobs

Slower economic conditions around the region are certainly impacting our banks and financial services institutions, but that doesn’t mean hiring & recruitment has come to a complete halt. Organisations still need talent to keep operations running and lead them into new growth areas. This requires talent in different shapes and sizes than previously. Shifting sands just means a shift in focus is required to different functions, roles, or skills to meet current market conditions.

Commentary

Post-bonus season ushers in a flurry of recruitment activity

The second quarter of the calendar year is always a very active period for recruiters, after Chinese New Year and post-bonus season. Whilst candidates normally choose this time of year to open themselves up to new job opportunities, there is a surge in employers requiring specific skill-sets to fill the gaps left behind on top of their existing unfilled vacancies.

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