Frances Gagua
SMBC appoints Joy Kwek to lead capital markets & solutions in APAC
SMBC appoints Joy Kwek to lead capital markets & solutions in APAC
Kwek joins from Morgan Stanley.
Hong Kong’s stablecoin bill boosts wealth management, pressures payments
Stablecoins issued in Hong Kong could increase competition particularly in wholesale payments.
KASIKORNBANK’s K PLUS now a payment method in Google Play
K PLUS has over 14 million users on Android devices.
Hang Seng Bank’s credit risks rise, but capital buffers remain strong
Credit losses rose to HK$4.86b in H1 versus HK$1.5b a year earlier.
Security Bank establishes wealth segment, announces new CFO
New CFO Allen Reyes previously worked at Singlife and Deutsche Bank.
Automation stalls hiring at Singapore’s top banks
Lenders are also upskilling to keep up with tech.
Chinabank’s net income up 14% to $222.83m in H1 2025
Both net interest income and net interest margin rose during the period.
SMBC sets up VC fund to invest in US fintech startups
It has a fund size of $300m.
Malaysia fines Bank Islam Malaysia MYR3.44m for service disruptions and AML/CFT screening
BIMB had multiple unplanned downtimes between June 2023 and December 2024.
Hang Seng Bank’s profits down 30% to HK$6.88b in H1 2025
Fees and other income rose 34% during the period.
Citi Markets to grow Asia rates and prime business headcount by up to 10%
IPO activity has rebounded and Citigroup traders posted their best Q2 period in 5 years.
VPBank clinches $350m loan to fund sustainable finance strategy
It will be allocated for green projects, SMEs, and infrastructure projects in underserved areas.
NAB invests $55m to upgrade over 100 branches across Australia
About 82 of the branches upgraded are in regional Australia.
Aussie regulators update MOU to strengthen financial stability cooperation
The updated MOU sets out their respective roles for contributing to financial stability.
Lack of virtual bank licence ‘not a big problem’ for Bangkok Bank
It estimates that virtual banks’ business revenue will not be significant in the first 5 years of operations.
Australian banks to refund $60.5m to customers hit by high fees
Over 1 million customers have been moved into low-fee accounts, ASIC said.
Airwallex gains capital markets services license in Singapore
It is also launching Airwallex Yield to businesses in the city.
Thought Leadership Centre
Most Read
1. How digital payments are forcing QSRs to rebuild checkout and staffing 2. MariBank links remittances to Weixin Pay via TenPay Global 3. Japanese banks face bond yield shocks as yields hit 2.23% 4. DBS to focus on tech resilience and grow fee income in 2026: analyst 5. DBS pilots Visa Intelligent Commerce for agent-initiated paymentsResource Center
Read Here
Advertise
Sign Up
Events
Event News
Speakers from Kasikornbank, KPMG Thailand, Systemweb Technology, and Simon-Kucher will share their insights on the industry’s latest trends and challenges.
Commentary
Asia’s banks hold the mandate to innovate. Now they must earn it.
Why Asia's banks are rebuilding their credit infrastructure in 2026
Banks retreat, private credit advances: Asia Pacific’s quiet lending revolution
Human Sparsity Blockchain: A citizen-validated ledger for digital finance supervision
Will stablecoins disrupt the banking business?
Digital transformation starts with leadership