In Focus
Wholesale lending to lift Indonesian banks’ loan growth
Wholesale lending to lift Indonesian banks’ loan growth
Average loan growth is expected to rise to 9% in 2026.
2 days ago
APAC banks in stronger capital positions than global peers
Regulators have more conservative local rules.
3 days ago
Thailand backs major conglomerates for digital banks but risks stifling innovation
Did the Bank of Thailand play it too safe by going for large, established conglomerates?
4 days ago
HSBC: Human oversight key as AI advances
AI tools should be deployed with strong oversight.
5 days ago
DBS sees tokenised finance as future
Regulatory uncertainty is the biggest barrier.
6 days ago
Banks leverage AI to streamline research and financial analysis
AI is being adopted in use cases outside CRM and as a research assistant.
6 days ago
Tencent’s TenPay Global opens WeChat mini programs to overseas wallets
Visitors from other countries may now use their homegrown wallets inside Mainland China.
Here are five ways banks can use agentic AI
Agentic AI helped free up 10% more time for client interactions, McKinsey reported.
Vietnam's banks to issue more bonds as loan growth accelerates
Loan growth will rise faster than deposits, leading to tight funding positions for the lenders.
APAC EM banks face rising bad loans in 2026
Risks are potentially highest in China, Thailand, the Philippines, Mongolia, and India.
Taiwanese banks’ profitability to weaken in 2026 as loans and wealth sales slow
Wealth management sales may moderate.
MAS cracks down on influencers promoting financial products
Seemingly educational content or advice can cross into regulated territory.
Thai banks brace for weaker 2026 earnings as rate cuts hit margins
Loan growth may pick-up but likely to stay in single digits, says Fitch.
Banks struggle to keep pace as fintechs scale agentic AI
Most incumbent initiatives are defined by narrower applications.
Singapore’s fintechs see mismatch between talent and hiring demand
Startups and scale-ups are the biggest employers whilst talent comes from MNCs.
Indian banks’ profits to soften in 2026 despite improved credit costs
Authorities' measures to boost consumption and investment will sustain revenues.
APAC DM banks take on more risk as margins shrink
Aussie banks are growing their SME exposure whilst other banks are expanding overseas.
Commentary
Thailand backs major conglomerates for digital banks but risks stifling innovation