"This experience has strongly inclined me toward tougher standards and built-in rules."
Janet Yellen, US Fed vice-chairwoman, on the financial crisis leading her to believe regulators have too much discretion.

The following are notes from our Monday morning meeting.

Deposits at US banks increased to $9.5t through June 2013, exceeding loans by an unprecendented $2.2t, fuelling banks' commercial and industrial credit drive, as delinquncy rates fell.

Bank of England data showed lending to British SMEs grew by a record $435m in June 2013, bucking an average monthly fall of $768m over the past six months.

South Africa recorded 217 M&A transactions valued at $121.6b in 1H 2013, up 86.8% YoY.

Central Bank of Qatar revealed credit growth slowed to 18% in June 2013, down 36% YoY.

Japanese households' financial assets rose 3.6% as at end Q1 2013 to $16.5t, the highest since September 2007, buoyed by increased value in stock, cash and savings holdings.

Asian Banker Research found number of rural commercial banks in China increased from 13 in 2006 to 337 in 2012, as conversions from rural cooperative banks and credit cooperatives increased. Click here for more

Vietnam received $2.5b in investments from Singapore this year, accounting for 35.9% of total capital of newly invested projects.

Japan's Mizuho Financial Group is in talks to acquire ANZ's 39.2% stake in Indonesia's Bank Panin, valued around $570m.

Raghuram Rajan has been appointed Reserve Bank of India governor, taking over from D. Subbarao.

Australian National Retailers Association found spending unchanged at $21.8b in June 2013, although there was an increase in hospitality and services.