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Vietnam has too many banks, says StanChart chief

Vietnam has too many banks, says StanChart chief

Vietnam’s banking industry is too small to support its 80 plus banks, according to Louis Taylor, general director of Standard Chartered Vietnam Bank.

South Korea PM slams regulator’s slack monitoring of banks

Nation’s ruling party motions to investigate savings banks on FSS’ speculated negligence on lender’s illegal activities.

Bank of Baroda targets 15 new international branches

The lender seeks to install new branches in Kenya, Tanzania, New Zealand, some other parts of Africa and Middle East.

ICBC to open Calgary branch

The lender steps up Canada expansion after setting up beachhead by buying 70% of Bank of East Asia (Canada).

Siam Commercial Bank increases loan target to 15%

Yet despite strong loan growth, the bank's net interest margin for the first quarter was 3.14%, below the expected 3.2%.

RHB Bank eager to buy Thai banks

Despite Maybank and CIMB bid for takeover, the lender is still looking at medium-sized and large banks acquisitions.

Bank Islam Malaysia advises rivals to start merging

Industry’s stiff competition forces small lenders to team up with larger ones to form stronger entities.

Maybank and CIMB in talks to buy RHB Capital

Reuters reports Malaysia's top two banks, Maybank and CIMB Group, are beginning rival talks to buy RHB Capital, which could lead to creating Southeast Asia's largest banking group.

Taiwanese mortgagees among highest defaulters

Taiwan's higher loan-to-value loans had a higher gross default ratio of around 5%, while the one with lower LTV loans showed a better performance of 2%, says Moody's.

Shareholders approves China Merchants Bank’s overseas bond issuance

AgBank will also issue $7.71bn subordinated bonds on June 2 following Shenzhen Development Bank’s $563.24mn mixed bonds launch last month.

Maybank Singapore launches new interest features to depositors

The lender’s whole suite of deposit products for iSAVvy Singapore dollar time deposit.

Mega banned: Indonesia’s Mega Bank banned from opening new branches

Mega has weak internal control, and Bank Indonesia isn’t happy about it.

Westpac Bank gets go signal for Beijing branch launching

Branch would be the lender’s second in China as it expand in its strategically important market for its customers.

South Korea willing to ease rules to sell Woori

FSC to allow local bank holding firms to buy only 50% stake in a holding firm with government stake to improve chances of privatising Woori.

Chinese banks threatened by new capital rules

The China Banking Regulatory Commission's new 4% leverage ratio requirement means more pressure to maintain a solid capital base.

Vietnamese banks hit the credit brakes

Inflation is out of control so the The State Bank of Vietnam has limited credit growth of banks to 20% in 2011.

PBCom sells $99.28mn worth of shares

PBCom has about 52.6mn common shares and another 120mn preferred shares to which the floor price of P25 a share would apply for this bidding.