In Focus

Malaysia banks forge ahead with merger plans despite steeper capital rules

Banks can handle the surcharge as CET1 ratios of big lenders range from 12-15.5% in 2018.

In Focus

Malaysia banks forge ahead with merger plans despite steeper capital rules

Banks can handle the surcharge as CET1 ratios of big lenders range from 12-15.5% in 2018.

In Focus

Hong Kong shapes up in heating virtual banking race

The first batch of licensees were granted to applicants with experience in running a deposit-taking and lending business.

In Focus

Indonesian banks launch mobile wallet in last-ditch effort to compete with Go-Jek

LinkAja can be used for mobile prepaid top-ups, POS payments, utility and transport payments.

In Focus

Three's a crowd: Shinhan and fintech unicorn Viva Republica leap into Korea's internet-only banking race

The partnership will have immediate access to 11 million users of e-payment app Toss.

In Focus

Bad loans haunt Singapore banks as asset quality risks mount

The NPL formation of OCBC and UOB rose by 137bp and 94bp respectively in Q4.

In Focus

Singapore bank ROEs to hit over 11% in 2020

Thanks to the shift towards fees and commission in the non-interest income mix.

In Focus

Thailand braces for fresh wave of bad loans as property market cools

Retail mortgage NPLs account for 16.6% of systemic bad loans and 25.9% of total loans.

In Focus

Taiwanese banks clamp down on Chinese exposure in hunt for fatter margins

Mainland credit exposure has dropped since Q3 2018 and is likely to remain flat in 2019.

In Focus

Singapore banks grapple with tepid margins in 2019

Net interest margins are set to rise by 3-5bp.

In Focus

Japanese banks heighten riskier lending to offset profit crunch

Lending to small enterprises is on a steady rise since 2013.

In Focus

Philippine banks can weather their largest corporate default

The combined loan exposure of Korean shipbuilder Hanjin to its five creditors is at $412m.

In Focus

Looming loan slowdown threatens Malaysian banks' 2019 earnings

Lending is tipped to moderate to 5.1% in 2019 from 5.6% in 2018.

In Focus

China's fintech ecosystem is scaling faster than the US and Europe

Outside of China, fintechs are only able to disrupt one vertical unlike Alipay or WeChat Pay.

In Focus

India's weakened banking sector awaits stronger credit growth as it tucks bad loans away

From 4.7% in end-2016, loans booked double-digit growth of 14.9% in November.

In Focus

Global wealth managers double down to capture Asia's tech-savvy crazy rich millennials

Innovative fintechs are filling in gaps in order to meet the complex digital demands of this booming client base.

In Focus

Asian banks rev up fintech partnerships to keep China's tech titans at bay

Incumbents are launching VC arms and innovation labs to avoid being outpaced.

In Focus

Vietnamese banks cash in on $44b consumer finance market

The pivot to retail has boosted NIMs, loan growth and operational efficiency.

In Focus