In Focus
How will mergers and crypto regulation reshape APAC fintech investment in H1?
How will mergers and crypto regulation reshape APAC fintech investment in H1?
Chinese fintechs will embrace "dual-market routes" to grow overseas.
APAC fintech deals drop to $9.3b in 2025 as private equity hits record low
Venture capital investment for fintechs in the region also fell to its lowest in a decade.
Japan retail banking to hit $227b by 2033
Market revenue stood at $143.7b in 2024 with 5.2% annual growth projected.
Indonesia’s Islamic loans to grow 10% but banks capped at 8% market share
Bank Syariah Indonesia (Persero) is likely to remain dominant.
Singapore card payments hit $119.6b in 2025 on SME push and contactless cards
Credit and charge cards made up two-thirds of the value.
How India’s 53% credit-to-GDP ratio exposes a lending gap
Formal borrowing is expanding but still trails the scale of domestic economic activity.
Vietnam banks face credit split as quota phaseout looms and Basel III rolls out
Weaker, capital-constrained banks may struggle to meet regulatory changes.
Malaysia payments flip non-cash as e-wallet usage jumps 14%
Online bank transfers also gained whilst debit and credit cards ranked last amongst users.
How can Indian lenders balance loan growth and risk?
Reforms could help improve efficiency, especially of state banks.
Big borrower default could wipe out a year of SEA bank earnings: S&P
Brunei, the Philippines, and Thailand are the most exposed to loan concertation risk.
Half of APAC banks hit KYC backlog as manual systems fail
In Singapore, nine institutions were fined a combined $21m for anti-money laundering failures.
Indonesia loan demand stagnates as MSME and consumption slumps
Underlying demand for loans remains uneven although liquidity will be abundant, analyst said.
Digital payments clock 13% growth as physical cards retreat
Super-apps reduce dependency on traditional products by bundling diverse financial tools.
India's public banks must cut branches to hit 'world-leading' goal: S&P
Indian PSBs are inefficient due to underutilised and low-yielding branches, an analyst said.
Only 1 in 10 banks see AI returns despite $97b spend by 2027
Data fragmentation and governance uncertainty plague most AI adoptions.
APAC neobanking hits $261b in 2025 as mobile use rises
China and India account for 70% of regional market share.
Payroll drives rural Indonesia banking uptake as digital banks fail to sway users
Digital banks are known but users said there is no difference in app experience.
Commentary
Built to last: How Japan is approaching the cross-border payments challenge
Asia’s 20% advantage: The simplification strategy rewriting banking from Singapore to Shanghai
Perth is emerging as an unlikely testbed for the future of global finance