In Focus

Chinese and French state-owned banks have established a US$189 million fund to support each other's small and medium sized enterprises.

Fitch Ratings Ltd expects the balance sheets of Chinese banks to deteriorate until the first-half of 2013.

Mizuho Corporate Bank and Akbank signed a cooperation agreement to finance mergers and acquisitions between both countries.

China's commercial banks are facing a high risk of increased bad loans as local governments try to unleash a new round of stimulus packages.

China’s largest lender reported a 12.5% net profit rise for January to June, or less than half the comparable rate in 2011, while loans overdue for less than three months jumped 60%.

The economic slowdown and squeezed profit margins are keeping South Korean banks from generating more profit.

China’s banks, the world’s second most profitable after Indonesia’s, are expected to see profit growth fall below 10% in 2013.

Malaysia accounts for US$165.2 billion or 60% of worldwide sukuk deals. Sukuk is the Islamic equivalent of bonds.

China’s Big Four banks face far weaker earnings growth in the future as profits continue to fall this year.

Vietnam's central bank found non-performing loans at some banks as high as 60% of the total outstanding loans.

China’s state-owned banks remain among the world’s most profitable and the largest in market capitalization.

China’s state-owned banks remain among the world’s most profitable and the largest in market capitalization, said a report by Boston Consulting Group.

China's fifth largest lender by assets, has received government approval to complete a private share placement.

Thanks to the strong growth at CIMB Niaga and CIMB Singapore and outperformance at Corporate Banking and Treasury Markets.

Non-performing loan ratios were at or near all-time lows of 1% in the face of an extremely volatile market environment.

Total outstanding loans among Philippine banks grew 14.9 percent to P2.95 trillion at the end of the first semester.