News
Demand for loans in Japan “about the same” in April-June
Demand for loans in Japan “about the same” in April-June
Firms of all sizes saw little change in demand during the period.
Hong Kong lenders consider making bad bank to offload $25b in soured loans
Hang Seng Bank and BoCom reportedly mulled setting up a special vehicle.
Singapore banks’ interest income expected to come weaker in Q2
Net interest margins of the 3 banks are expected to compress by 5-7 basis points.
Thailand’s SCB enforces SIM name match requirement
Customers can still make transactions as usual on ATMs and branches.
HSBC appoints Runa Baksi as head of SEA for global trade solutions
Baksi will oversee GTS across Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
South Korean banks to tighten household lending standards in Q3
This was due to the strengthening of household debt regulations.
Australia floats removing surcharge on card payments, lowering interchange fee cap
Lowering the cap could save businesses $1.2b in fees per year.
BofA appoints new heads for Global Payments Solutions in APAC
Lin Guo and Kitty Yen are head of GPS China and GPS Taiwan, respectively.
GXS Invest embeds insurance coverage with Singlife
Coverage will be up to three times the investment amount capped at S$100,000.
GoTyme Bank reaches $525.7m in deposits, expands into the SM Store
By Q3 2025, it will have kiosks in over 70 locations of the department store.
Japan’s SMFG eyes $1.1b additional investment in India’s Yes Bank: report
The Japanese megabank may raise its stake to 25%, sources said.
UnionBank opens new branch in Cebu City’s Aboitiz Corporate Center
This is the Philippine bank’s 200th branch in the region.
Banks drop OTPs as fraud drives SNA adoption
66% of critical attacks now target the finance sector.
StanChart rolls out digital assets trading service
It includes spot trading for Bitcoin and Ether through its UK branch.
GXS Bank launches GXS Invest
Customers can invest in the Fullerton SGD Cash Fund (Class G) from as low as S$1.
Chinese banks’ loan growth forecast lowered to 6% by 2028
Economic data likely indicates continued weak credit demand in the coming months.
Bangladesh’s banking sector strained by structural problems
Asset quality strains are expected to extend through 2026.
Commentary
Fighting fraud in the digital banking age