In Focus
Stablecoin payment volumes double to $390b as Asia claims 60% share
Stablecoin payment volumes double to $390b as Asia claims 60% share
Majority of activity is in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan, according to McKinsey and Artemis Analytics.
APAC neo banks face trust barrier despite 8% CAGR
Mordor Intelligence sees expansion through 2030 even as rural access gaps slow uptake.
Which banking roles in Hong Kong earn the highest annually?
Managing directors in IPO and M&A roles get the highest annual salary.
India bank credit hits $2.4t amidst fintech boom
Formal banking reach expanded to 569.3 million Jan Dhan accounts by early November 2025.
Hong Kong banks ‘resilient’ despite falling CRE property values
Many banks have solid earnings and excess capital to absorb potential losses.
Retail holds 71% of APAC fintech market in 2025
Enterprise users to expand at 25.47% annually through 2031.
ISO 20022 and agentic AI to drive payment unification in 2026
But financial institutions (FIs) and tech providers must integrate new real-time systems with legacy rails.
4 in 10 APAC firms prefer instant payments for cross border transfers
72% of instant payment use is currently tied to standard customer purchases.
Interoperability vital as 24/7 push hits 'fragmented' Philippine payments
Fragmented ecosystems and limited wallet acceptance will cause abandoned transactions.
Singapore finance firms struggle as 72% face talent gap
Survey shows 94% are revising financial and operational plans to secure workers.
Digital wallets, agentic AI to speed up payments
The focus is on agentic systems that can act on behalf of users.
Vietnam banks to weather risks with 16% credit growth target 'reasonable'
Actual loan growth may exceed previous years even as it does not hit the official target.
SME loan 4.1% slump weighs on Thai bank earnings
Overall credit outstanding fell 1.1% year on year across licensed banks and subsidiaries.
Singapore banks lead pay as hiring access ranks low
DBS and OCBC were at the bottom 20% for job opportunities to non-degree holders and less experienced workers.
APAC private banking to grow 9.43% CAGR
The market is forecast to expand from $44.3b in 2025 to $76.05b by 2031.
How will agentic AI change online payments?
It’s unclear who’s liable if it over‑orders or pays the wrong merchant.
Philippine rural banks face merger pressure with tighter capital rules
Many lenders in the countryside have little capital buffer.
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