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See how financial institutions can maximise video communications

With half of online Australians already engaged with video online and a third using video calling, how can financial services institutions use video to better engage customers and workers?

Commentary

See how financial institutions can maximise video communications

With half of online Australians already engaged with video online and a third using video calling, how can financial services institutions use video to better engage customers and workers?

Commentary

How the LIBOR scandal in London affected Asian banks

The LIBOR scandal rocked the world of finance last year after reports emerged of gross misconduct by Barclay’s Bank in the submission of LIBOR rates to the British Banker’s Association (BBA). Barclays had been under investigation by authorities for its role in setting the world’s key short term interest rate-the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and had to pay total fines of £ 290 million in separate settlement agreements with the Financial Services Authority (FSA), U.S. Department of Justice and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CTFC).

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The implications on global 'currency wars' on Asian banks

The growing trend of central banks around the world to stimulate economic growth by instituting quantitative easing is having the effect – either intended or unintended - of rapidly depreciating major currencies such as the Japanese Yen, Chinese Yuan, US Dollar and Euro.

Commentary

Look at how Asian banks and businesses will suffer from Basel III

Financial institutions received much of the blame for the global financial crisis in 2008. A wave of regulatory reforms in the financial and banking sector have taken place globally since that time in an attempt to address perceived weaknesses in the system.

Commentary

Here's why middleware is vital for Asia's financial services sector

Businesses today face a host of unavoidable challenges that need to be tackled in order to achieve core business objectives, including lowering costs, increasing revenue and enhancing competitive advantage. In the financial services sector, these demands are further exacerbated by the unique challenges facing the industry, not the least of which is the inevitability of race-like conditions and the need to capture, analyze, and act on information as soon as it appears.

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See how microfinance in India has evolved

The banking system was standing on its head, we just put it back on its feet says Mohammad Yunus, founder of Grameen bank, Bangladeshi Economist, Banker and Nobel peace prize winner in his TED talk, talking about the microﬁnance industry. The subcontinent has now forced the system not just to stand on its feet, but also to start walking. The Indian microﬁnance industry has come a long way.

Commentary

Why dispersing cash is an essential public service

Dispersing cash in a country as large as India has traditionally been hugely problematic due to the way the financial services infrastructure has developed in the country. In effect, the inability to service low value customers due to a systemic cost problem with the industry (driven by both regulation and staff unions who have opposed many measures to increase efficiency in the past, including ATMs) has resulted in a very urban-centric distribution coverage by the industry.

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Why China is the stalwart in Asia's cards and payments industry

For financial institutions and customer-centric executives, it has never been more important to focus on the rapidly developing cards and payments market. Now Asia is set to lead a card acceptance revolution with China’s UnionPay governing the charge.

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This is how banking innovation in Asia has evolved

To stay relevant, banks in Asia are keeping in touch with technological advancements and innovating on their product and service offerings.

Commentary

You should know about the 'Three-Horizon' growth strategy for Islamic banks

It is very clear that Islamic banking is now an established industry with high growth prospects. Asia is and will continue to be a key geographical area for this industry, whether it is South East Asia, South Asia or the Middle East.

Commentary

Tapping the Islamic finance industry's growth potential in Bangladesh

The growth potential for Bangladesh's Islamic finance industry is enormous, and coupled with a steadily growing economy and financial reforms. With support from the Bangladesh government, financial regulators and the central bank, Bangladesh can be poised to become the next hub for Islamic finance in Asia and on a global scale, the world Islamic scholars opined in the International Islamic Finance Roadshow held recently in Bangladesh.

Commentary

The benefits of 'gamifying' training for retail bankers

Mobile learning, particularly in Asia, is rapidly going mainstream. Research by Ambient Insight revealed that Japan, South Korea and Taiwan were the earliest adopters of mobile learning, accounting for 70% of the buying market in 2010. Yet other countries are catching up fast, with China, India and Indonesia expected to be the top purchasers by 2015.

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How cross-industry learning keeps Asian banks growing

The continuing digital sophistication of consumers in the financial services market has driven many of the developments in products, infrastructure and processes.

Commentary

Asia Pacific's wealth management sector mired in massive challenges

Asia Pacific has overtaken North America for the first time as the region with the highest number of high net worth individuals (HNWI), 3.37 million in 2011, according to the latest World Wealth Report, jointly published by RBC Wealth Management and Capgemini, and this figure is set on an upward trend. Welcome statistics for wealth managers. Saying that, this explosion in the HNWI segment can also present a thorny challenge for the industry.

Commentary

It's high time to educate the new generation of retail bankers

The banking model is fatally flawed. It’s time to break up the universal banks, separate the cavalier commercial arm from the retail element, and educate the new generation of retail bankers.

Commentary

The impact of fragmentation and complexity on AsiaPac banks

Banks across Asia Pacific continue to wrestle with issues surrounding corporate actions processing. Changes to the distribution of event notifications – often still inconsistent and fraught with delays that increase risk and operational costs – have long been overdue. However due to the fragmented nature of the Asia Pacific region, creating a standardized approach to overcome these problems is a significant challenge.

Commentary

5 challenges India has to hurdle in 2013

After a disappointing 2012, India heads for an uncertain 2013. Here are five key challenges we would recommend the Indian economic authorities to focus on.

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