Commentary

Why the clock is ticking for trade finance talents

Australia’s success as a trading nation is vitally dependent on the expertise of trade financiers and the quality of their products and services. But within the trade finance discipline is a “doomsday clock” which threatens to count down all the way to midnight.

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Why the clock is ticking for trade finance talents

Commentary

What you should know about ADB and supply chain finance

Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced recently that it has partnered with Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) on supply chain finance program (SCFP) in the amount of USD 800m to support Asian SMEs facing payment pressure from the big domestic buyers. It is a good news but the structure is not innovative at all.

Commentary

What you need to know about International Bank Account Numbers

Asian Banking and Finance fraternity has come a long way in Banking Journey but many more milestones are yet to be achieved. One such milestone which is now in the process of being adopted across the Asian banks is that of IBAN (International Bank Account Numbers).

Commentary

Are mobiles in retail banking chaos or best practice?

The markets of the Asia Pacific region have been amongst the leaders in the adoption of the mobile phone. Andpropelled by the advent of the smartphone and ‘app’, the mobile handset has assumed a major role in the lifestyle of all segments of society.

Commentary

Here are the biggest IT challenges in financial services industry

In the financial services industry, market opportunities grow faster than IT budgets. Beyond financial institutions, other industries are also faced with the same challenges brought about by technology trends such as big data and social media.

Commentary

What you need to know about business foreign exchange

Banks across Asia are gearing up to fight for regional dominance of one of the most important and quickly growing products - Business Foreign Exchange. Spot FX, Forward FX and FX Options are the most ‘banked away’ products by customers seeking value for money and personalised customer service.

Commentary

The real special thing about banks

Every once in a while it’s worth reminding ourselves what banks are here for. Worth it because since the crash there has been so much nonsense written by every type of commentator on just this subject.

Commentary

Why Asia should zero in on demand management

Asia is a region of great promise; predicted to account for over half of global output by the middle of the century. Yet as volatility remains in global supply chains, competition intensifies and consumersare ever demanding, best practice demand management is an imperative.

Commentary

Can your bank profit from the international trade boom in Asia?

Trade flows are shifting east. International trade to and from Asia has shown spectacular growth in recent years, a trend that is set to continue for the next decade.

Commentary

How to capture demand in rapid-growth markets

As banks seek growth, rapid-growth markets (RGMs) are a natural draw. In many RGMs, retail banks are growing as increasing affluence drives demand for more financial products and services. Corporate and investment banks are expanding, as government programs that are aimed at improving infrastructure and public services, and attracting foreign investment, create the conditions for business growth.

Commentary

What you don't know about Indian Rupee volatility

The purpose of the article is to draw attention on the recent volatility in Indian Rupee, various hedging options and effective hedging strategies.

Commentary

Why bridging a bank’s systems is crucial to increasing cross-business trading efficiencies

In ever-changing market conditions, the sell side is under significant pressure to find revenue growth and cost savings in a time of great uncertainty for existing business models.

Commentary

Hottest jobs in the Asian banking and finance sector

Staff movement is creating vacancy activity throughout the Asian finance and banking sector as people decide to change employers – giving us evidence that candidates are gaining confidence in the recovery of the banking industry as they explore their options and look for opportunities to develop their careers. Christine Wright, Operations Director for Hays in Asia, discusses the trends and current opportunities across the region from the latest Hays Quarterly Hotspots list.

Commentary

Here is the strategic importance of trade finance solutions

Reliable and cost effective Trade Finance solutions are of strategic importance to Asian transaction banks. Both local and foreign operations rely heavily upon relationship positioning within trade customer demographics to develop broader market share growth, improved wallet share, lower customer churn and foster value adding product cross sell opportunities.

Commentary

What you should know about lifting the offshore conversion cap

The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) is likely to lift the RMB 20,000 daily limit on currency conversion for Hong Kong residents, according to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s chief executive Norman Chan. As we have long argued, the removal of the conversion cap is crucial to further facilitate the growth of the Hong Kong’s offshore RMB market (see “It’s time to review the personal conversion quota” 3 Apr 2012, and “How will HK maintain its RMB edge?” 25 Oct 2012).

Commentary

Why debt ceiling vs. capacity debate is hot in Taiwan

When I was requested for comment about the government deficit of Taiwan recently, I told my friends that instead of government deficit, they should focus on the debt ceiling which limits the borrowing capacity of the government. It is because that deficit needs to be balanced by borrowing eventually.

Commentary

Why it's high time for microfinance to become mainstream

“Microfinance” has been one of the great success stories of finance in the developing world. It’s something that the Western world could learn from. Yes we have Credit Unions, but their share of the market is tiny, and they don’t have an impact on the lower-income sector of the population in any meaningful way.

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