Commentary

Management guru late C.K. Prahalad defined Competing for future as ‘getting to the customer first for less.’ What are banks doing to get closer to their customers, especially the customers of tomorrow?

The macroeconomic downturn in 2012 has gradually shifted its influence from the real economy to the financial sector. The recently exposed problems regarding wealth management products sold by banks is only one of a number of possible hidden dangers and may be an early warning of the current financial risks.

Billions of transactions are made around the world everyday. Transaction banking may be the process of transferring from one place to another, but transaction banking is critical to any business in Singapore – and around the world.

Merchant acquiring and processing across Asia-Pacific is far from homogenous. It is a collection of quite unique markets.

Asia’s banking and finance sector is preparing for 2013 and all eyes are the region as a key barometer of the world’s economic fortunes.

Catalysed by an upsurge of generational transition of assets and control in Asia, the region is emerging as a lucrative arena for wealth management institutions to compete for wealth structuring opportunities on behalf of ultra high net worth Asian families.

Evolution of Financial Service Organizations Modern Financial Services organizations have become practically virtual.

The recent developments in the LIBOR scandal feels like we're back in the ages of the Merchant of Venice. We're caught in the feeling of having borrowed money from Shylock himself, except perhaps in our case, a more fearful, self preserving Shylock who succumbs to peer pressure easily.

Global private equity (PE) firms are stepping up their focus on investment opportunities in Southeast Asia, with deal-making in the region expected to pick up in 2013.

The persistent sluggishness and ominous uncertainty in Europe and United States economies, flanking warnings coming from different multilateral institutions, the continuing debt problems and economic fragilities in EU member countries and looming fiscal cliff in United States, indicate risks of global economic forecasts remaining on the downside in the short to medium term.

China’s evolving financial system has required the central bank to change its tools. Capital outflows and the gradual liberalization of the yuan mean that the era of sterilized intervention is ending. A new governor could move the PBoC towards a more conventional market-based policy, although the overall policy stance is still expected to be set by the government for the foreseeable future. Monetary policy in China has traditionally had three levers: interest rates, reserve ratios and the currency. The State Council (made up of the premier, vice premiers, and heads of various government departments, including the central bank) decides on lending and deposit rates, while the People's Bank of China has discretion over commercial bank reserve ratios. Each can influence policy on the currency, although the State Council has the final say.

Whilst there was general agreement on the need to reform the global financial system after the 2007 financial crisis, the impact of the revised regulations published in 2009 by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) has been felt far and wide.

A recent study reveals that corporate treasurers are most concerned about liquidity and funding. But should this really be their biggest worry?

Western candidates wanting to work in China’s banking capital, Shanghai, should first get to grips with how regulatory change is creating an increasing number of niche jobs for foreigners.

Islamic banking operates with the same purpose as conventional banking except that it operates in accordance with the rules of Shari’ah, known as Fiqh al-Muamalat (Islamic rules on transactions).

The latest strategy to aggressively grow unsecured loans to the SME segment, underpinned by the hopes of earning mega bucks to make up for the falling margins is bold but could well be the cause for the next disaster.