In Focus

Banks into hubs: OCBC NISP embraces guesthouse-feel branches
19 Jun 19
Select outlets draw on a mix of batik and contemporary aesthetic and feature special aromatherapies.
How Thai banks are breaking the branch mold
16 Jun 19
Krungthai Bank is looking to launch five more retail-like branch formats in 2019.
Which Asian banks have the freest credit line for POEs?
11 Jun 19
China is lagging behind with share of POE bank loans just at 26%.
China's first bank seizure in decades highlights growing small bank risk
29 May 19
State-owned CCB will ba taking over the business of Baoshang Bank.
Virtual cash management tools are taking off in Asia
15 May 19
Global transaction banking revenues are estimated at nearly $1t in 2017 or 43% of wholesale banking revenues.
Asset quality risks grow as Taiwanese banks grapple with China's slowdown
10 May 19
Delinquencies climbed in the overseas loans of cyclical sectors as well as loans to China and Southeast Asia.
Banks caught in Beijing's risky balancing act as second largest economy stutters
10 May 19
The People’s Bank of China has launched a Central Bank Bill Swap to help banks actively lend more.
Singapore banks set for Q1 profit boost as corporate loans and wealth income recover
24 Apr 19
Trading and wealth management income may have rebounded between 10-36% in Q1.
Malaysia banks forge ahead with merger plans despite steeper capital rules
17 Apr 19
Banks can handle the surcharge as CET1 ratios of big lenders range from 12-15.5% in 2018.
Hong Kong shapes up in heating virtual banking race
3 Apr 19
The first batch of licensees were granted to applicants with experience in running a deposit-taking and lending business.
Indonesian banks launch mobile wallet in last-ditch effort to compete with Go-Jek
1 Apr 19
LinkAja can be used for mobile prepaid top-ups, POS payments, utility and transport payments.
Three's a crowd: Shinhan and fintech unicorn Viva Republica leap into Korea's internet-only banking race
25 Mar 19
The partnership will have immediate access to 11 million users of e-payment app Toss.
Bad loans haunt Singapore banks as asset quality risks mount
28 Feb 19
The NPL formation of OCBC and UOB rose by 137bp and 94bp respectively in Q4.
Singapore bank ROEs to hit over 11% in 2020
20 Feb 19
Thanks to the shift towards fees and commission in the non-interest income mix.
Thailand braces for fresh wave of bad loans as property market cools
13 Feb 19
Retail mortgage NPLs account for 16.6% of systemic bad loans and 25.9% of total loans.
Taiwanese banks clamp down on Chinese exposure in hunt for fatter margins
6 Feb 19
Mainland credit exposure has dropped since Q3 2018 and is likely to remain flat in 2019.
Singapore banks grapple with tepid margins in 2019
31 Jan 19
Net interest margins are set to rise by 3-5bp.
Japanese banks heighten riskier lending to offset profit crunch
23 Jan 19
Lending to small enterprises is on a steady rise since 2013.
Philippine banks can weather their largest corporate default
16 Jan 19
The combined loan exposure of Korean shipbuilder Hanjin to its five creditors is at $412m.
Looming loan slowdown threatens Malaysian banks' 2019 earnings
9 Jan 19
Lending is tipped to moderate to 5.1% in 2019 from 5.6% in 2018.
China's fintech ecosystem is scaling faster than the US and Europe
19 Dec 18
Outside of China, fintechs are only able to disrupt one vertical unlike Alipay or WeChat Pay.
India's weakened banking sector awaits stronger credit growth as it tucks bad loans away
12 Dec 18
From 4.7% in end-2016, loans booked double-digit growth of 14.9% in November.
Global wealth managers double down to capture Asia's tech-savvy crazy rich millennials
5 Dec 18
Innovative fintechs are filling in gaps in order to meet the complex digital demands of this booming client base.
Asian banks rev up fintech partnerships to keep China's tech titans at bay
28 Nov 18
Incumbents are launching VC arms and innovation labs to avoid being outpaced.
Vietnamese banks cash in on $44b consumer finance market
21 Nov 18
The pivot to retail has boosted NIMs, loan growth and operational efficiency.
Small Chinese banks struggle to strike balance between curbing risk and lending
14 Nov 18
Megabanks have easier access to funding and have more stable asset quality.
Banks are putting up a fight against China's tech titans
7 Nov 18
Although the amount of nonbank third-party payment skyrocketed 480% from 2014-2017, mobile payments by banks rose by 798% over the same period....
Singapore still beats Hong Kong over Asia's open banking readiness crown
31 Oct 18
DBS and OCBC are regional leaders in fintech and innovation.
Hong Kong makes huge headway in realising smart banking ambitions
17 Oct 18
It rolled out a real-time fund transfer system, open API guidelines, virtual banks authorisation in 2018 alone.
How Bank Muamalat Indonesia used smart mapping technology to optimise its branch and ATM network
9 Oct 18
The bank enhanced 64% of its ATM's cost and acquired 10% more customers with 40% less branches.
Vietnamese banks' war against bad debt pays off
3 Oct 18
Lower credit costs lifted average operating profit/risk weighted assets from 1.6% in 2017 to 2.2% in H1 2018.
Can South Korea's web-only banks break out of beginner's rut to ensure sustainability?
26 Sep 18
The two players have been booking losses as they ramp up IT spending.
Which Asian banks will lose steam amidst the silver population takeover?
19 Sep 18
India, Indonesia, and the Philippines will benefit from a favourable demographic shift whilst Korea and Japan will flounder.
Banks in emerging Asia wrestle for e-payments market share against telcos and online upstarts
12 Sep 18
Indonesian and Philippine banks may lose up to $3.8b and $1.3b respectively as they fail to hold on to their dominance.
Are Hong Kong lenders under threat as virtual banks zero in on their market?
4 Sep 18
The HKMA has received 29 applications in the first round of screening ending August 31.
The full-fledged recovery of India's banks hinges on privatisation and mergers
22 Aug 18
Overseeing 21 public sector banks has proven too difficult a task for the government.
Could Australia's sharp housing downturn be a blessing in disguise for embattled banks?
15 Aug 18
Much has been said about slower credit growth but banks could also look forward to improving asset quality.
The worst is almost over for worn out Indian banks
8 Aug 18
An earnings turnaround is in sight by 2020 as banks start shedding off bad loans.
Can Thai banks keep their bad loan woes at bay?
1 Aug 18
Lending to SME operators will keep NPL formation levels elevated.
Vietnamese banks grapple with $9b capital crunch as lending outpaces capital generation
25 Jul 18
Tier 1 Capital ratio could fall from 9.4% to 8% by 2019.

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Events Calendar

Jul 18
ABF Wholesale Banking Awards 2019
Singapore
Jul 18
ABF Retail Banking Awards 2019
Singapore
Jul 18
ABF Corporate and Investment Banking Awards 2019
Shangri-La Hotel Singapore
Aug 28
ABF Digital Payments Summit 2019
Hotel ICON, Level 1, Silverbox Ballroom 1-3, 17 Science Museum Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Oct 22
ABF Digital & Open Banking Conference 2019, Singapore
Singapore
Nov 19
ATMIA Asia ATM Innovation & Security Congress 2019
Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia