Weekly Brief Nov 04 Revolut gains New Zealand banking licence; lending growth lifts Grab’s financial services earnings Retail Finance Weekly: Digital banks widened their reach as Revolut won a New Zealand licence and lending lifted Grab’s financial services to positi... 946
Weekly Brief Oct 29 Airtel Money reports 34% revenue growth in first post-IPO results as margins narrow TAB Africa Weekly Brief: Transaction value outpaces customer growth but a falling take rate squeezes revenue, while AFC and Munich Re share trade-fina... 1587
Weekly Brief Oct 27 Gulf banks report higher 9M earnings, Mastercard expands payment connectivity in Syria TAB Middle East Weekly Brief: Falling impairments and a disposal gain lift ADCB and RAKBANK, while higher charges restrain Emirates NBD and Saudi Nati... 1088
Rankings Oct 27 Al Rajhi Bank, Kuveyt Türk and Kuwait Finance House lead the TAB Global World’s Strongest Islamic Banks 2026 ranking The assessment of 100 Islamic banks highlights how leading institutions combine scale with earnings capacity, operating efficiency and financial resil... 1628
Weekly Brief Oct 21 Capital One advances Discover network plans, UK proposes opening iPhone payments to rival wallets Retail Finance Weekly: Capital One shifts card spending to Discover’s network, UK proposes opening iPhone contactless payments and GCash parent Mynt... 5540
Weekly Brief Oct 16 China’s export growth strengthens as household borrowing remains weak TAB China Weekly Brief: China’s exports surged in September while household loans contracted, Visa won clearing approval and banks received liquidit... 1057
Weekly Brief Oct 15 Visa gains preliminary approval for domestic card clearing in China, US bank earnings reveal contrasting retail results Retail Finance Weekly: Visa gains preliminary approval for China card clearing, India delays merchant fees and US banks report contrasting consumer re... 3472
Weekly Brief Oct 07 Australia’s card reforms reshape payment costs and bank rewards Retail Finance Weekly: Australia's interchange cuts and surcharge ban reshape card economics as Commonwealth Bank widens rewards and Apple Pay enters ... 3383
Weekly Brief Oct 07 Always-on payments and embedded banking expand into corporate and institutional workflows Transaction Finance Weekly: Citi takes cross-border payments beyond office hours as HSBC enters client systems and IFC backs supplier finance.... 2481
Weekly Brief Sep 23 Qatar Investment Authority and JP Morgan Asset Management form $20 billion investment partnership TAB Middle East Weekly Brief: QIA signed a $20 billion partnership with JP Morgan Asset Management and AWS confirmed unrecoverable cloud losses in Bah... 2079
Weekly Brief Sep 15 GCC bank assets exceed $4 trillion as deposits rise 6% and UAE credit expands TAB Middle East Weekly Brief: GCC bank assets top $4 trillion, Türkiye holds rates at 37%, US sanctions VTB Bank, and ADGM assets under management ri... 1576
Weekly Brief Sep 09 Chime moves beyond partner-bank model with $590 million Stride acquisition Retail Finance Weekly: Chime buys Stride Bank, EverBank and WaFd merge, ANZ migrates Suncorp customers, Bank of Thailand moves to license BNPL.... 718
Weekly Brief Sep 01 CBUAE opens urgent Banque Misr examination, Saudi deposit growth outpaces credit TAB Middle East Weekly Brief: CBUAE opens urgent Banque Misr examination, Saudi deposit growth outpaces credit and Qatar's economy contracts.... 1337
Weekly Brief Aug 21 China holds LPRs for 15th month, expands consumer and small-business loan subsidies TAB China Weekly Brief: China holds loan prime rates for a 15th month, PBOC expands digital RMB network to 30 operators and renews RMB220 billion Aust... 1770
Weekly Brief Aug 19 Indonesia expands retail credit through QRIS, Klarna cuts outlook despite return to profit Retail Finance Weekly: Klarna cuts its 2026 outlook despite returning to profit, Nubank tops $1 billion in quarterly profit and BofA takes a stake in ... 1534
Weekly Brief Aug 18 Citi joins $4.6 billion Japan-US financing, China expands corporate cash pooling Transaction Finance Weekly: Citi backs $4.6 billion Japan-US power deal, China expands RMB cash pooling and South Korea commits KRW 5 trillion to semi... 2370
News Analysis Aug 13 Can UOB turn its corporate franchise into a private wealth growth engine? UOB’s wealth income grew as net interest margin narrowed and fee-income guidance was lowered, with the bank turning to corporate and FDI relationshi... 1801
Weekly Brief Aug 12 Mercado Pago grows credit portfolio 75%, Revolut secures French banking licence Retail Finance Weekly: Mercado Pago's credit portfolio grew 75% to $16 billion, Revolut secured a French banking licence, Nu México became a fully li... 1849
Weekly Brief Aug 11 Libya central bank governor resigns, World Bank backs $100 million Syria financial overhaul TAB Middle East Weekly Brief: Central Bank of Libya's governor resigns, the World Bank approves $100 million for Syria's financial-sector modernisatio... 1746
Weekly Brief Aug 04 Citi launches trade digitisation solution, Lloyds tests tokenised cross-border payments through Project Agorá Transaction Finance Weekly: Citi's new trade-finance platform, Lloyds' tokenised-deposit transactions through Project Agorá and Wise's direct connect... 2260
Interviews Jul 31 Can government disbursements and remittances drive financial inclusion in the Philippines? RCBC is turning disbursements and remittances into gateways to wider banking services. Lito Villanueva, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation ... 1782
Weekly Brief Jul 30 X enters financial services with accounts, cards and payments Retail Finance Weekly: X launches X Money, Upstart secures a conditional bank charter, PayPal lifts payment volume to $486.4 billion, and DBS expands ... 3412
Weekly Brief Jul 29 Southern Africa's regional payment system adds Angolan kwanza as second settlement currency Transaction Finance Weekly: SADC-RTGS added the Angolan kwanza as its first new settlement currency since 2013, Visa partnered with Airwallex on freig... 1527
Weekly Brief Jul 22 Revolut enters Australian banking, Pix caught in US-Brazil trade dispute Revolut wins an Australian banking licence, Stripe and Advent reportedly bid $53 billion for PayPal, and Pix enters a US trade dispute, leading a week... 1733
Weekly Brief Jul 21 Bank Nizwa eyes Oman Islamic banking giant, Revolut expands into UAE digital assets This week, Bank Nizwa moved to acquire Oman's Alizz Islamic Bank, Revolut won approval to expand digital asset services in Dubai and UAE banks pressed... 3183
Weekly Brief Jul 21 Emirates NBD goes live on Partior for 24/7 USD settlement, Deutsche Bank expands APAC escrow From Emirates NBD's real-time dollar payments to Deutsche Bank's trade finance guarantees and BBVA's Swift retail scheme, this week saw banks racing t... 1564
Interviews Jul 17 How is UOB Thailand turning integration complexity into retail profitability? UOB Thailand's retail arm is shifting from scale-driven growth to profitability-led restructuring, using segmentation, digital wealth sales and analyt... 1480
Weekly Brief Jul 15 JP Morgan posts largest US bank Q2 earnings, Visa launches AI assistant Record Wall Street profits from trading and dealmaking contrast with muted consumer banking growth, as the UK regulates BNPL, Klarna seeks a US bank c... 759
Current Account Jun 25 All 32 US banks pass Fed stress test as higher rate assumptions offset growing credit losses The Fed's 2026 supervisory stress test cleared every large US bank against a scenario modelling $708 billion in projected losses, but the cleanest agg... 3886
Interviews Jun 23 Chinabank ‘s new credit card solution for Philippine households Consumer banking in the Philippines has become highly commoditised, with credit cards becoming widely available and digital-first challengers raising ... 1912
Interviews Jun 12 How Alliance Bank is building an everyday banking franchise Alliance Bank Malaysia is using digital engagement, ecosystem partnerships and technology investments to position itself as an everyday banking platfo... 1769
Interviews May 21 What does Trust Bank’s profitable month say about digital banking economics in Singapore? Trust Bank’s first profitable month in March 2026 is an important milestone, but the more meaningful question is whether it signals that digital ban... 3693
Current Account May 05 OCBC acquires HSBC Indonesia's retail and wealth unit in $4.9B AUM deal The acquisition of HSBC Indonesia's International Wealth and Premier Banking operations adds 336,000 customers and about 1,300 staff to OCBC Indonesia... 4308
Analysis Mar 25 JPMorgan Chase posts $57B profit in 2025, plans $105B spend as rate tailwinds fade JPMorgan Chase closed 2025 with $57 billion in net income and a 20% ROTCE, but the results point to a structural shift that will define the bank’s 2... 11052
Analysis Feb 27 UOB reports $5.7 billion net profit after pre-emptive provisions as fee income reaches record UOB's 2025 performance highlights pre-emptive provisioning's impact on earnings, offset by record fee income and diversified income streams.... 4201
Interviews Feb 02 Alliance Bank embeds digital lending through virtual cards, partnerships and unified origination Alliance Bank Malaysia is reworking its consumer lending economics by embedding credit products into partner ecosystems such as e-wallets and e-commer... 3869
Awards Ceremonies Nov 21 First Bank of Nigeria, Bank of Punjab, Stanbic IBTC, Absa, Al Rajhi Bank and BDO Unibank recognised for excellence in retail finance, SME banking and transaction finance First Bank of Nigeria, Bank of Punjab, Stanbic IBTC, Absa, Al Rajhi Bank and BDO Unibank were recognised at The TAB Global Finance Awards 2025.... 3797
Round Up Oct 27 Technology partners build the new foundation of global finance with AI, cloud and interoperability AI, cloud-native platforms and open interoperability are rebuilding global financial infrastructure, enabling secure, resilient and programmable payme... 3524
Sibos Round Up Oct 07 ACI Worldwide builds cloud-native hub and intelligent orchestration to power instant and cross-border payments At Sibos 2025, ACI’s Philip Bruno outlined how ACI Connetic enables faster, safer, programmable payments with intelligent orchestration and fraud pr... 3015
Interview Notes Aug 26 Alliance Bank Malaysia focuses on proprietary technology and embedded finance to drive growth Alliance Bank Malaysia has introduced virtual credit cards, dynamic card numbers and embedded personal financing into partner platforms, to grow marke... 5486
Interviews Jul 31 Krungsri GIFT looks to reshape loyalty with AI-driven, mission-based engagement Krungsri aims to redefine customer loyalty with GIFT, a personalised, gamified rewards platform embedded within its mobile banking app. By aligning ... 7618
Interviews Jun 13 UnionBank advances digital consumer banking with partnerships, AI and platform-driven growth UnionBank of the Philippines is redefining digital consumer banking with a strategy built on ecosystem partnerships, AI-led decisioning, providing a f... 12403
Interviews Apr 11 HSBC Live+ targets lifestyle spends with overseas cashback benefits HSBC Singapore’s Live+ credit card focuses on the emerging affluent segment, offering high cashback and curated rewards in dining, shopping and ente... 7064
Apr 02 HSBC Live+ recognised as best cash back credit card in Asia Pacific HSBC Singapore’s Live+ credit card, which was recognised as the Best Cash Back Card in Asia Pacific, stands out for its lifestyle benefits, high cas... 4503
Interviews Nov 12 Mastercard combats rising fraud with AI and global collaboration At the Singapore Fintech Festival 2024, Matthew Driver, executive vice president, head of services at Mastercard Asia Pacific, highlighted that as acc... 4896
Current Account Jul 25 UOB and Woori Card partner to fuel ASEAN-Korea travel boom A new collaboration between UOB and Woori Card aims to capitalise on the growing travel market between ASEAN and South Korea... 6817
Interviews Jul 07 Tanoto Foundation Medical Philanthropy bridges funding gaps in medical research The Tanoto Foundation held its inaugural Medical Philanthropy Forum to award the first recipients of its Medical Research Fund grants.The event unders... 5938
Interviews May 30 GXBank’s Lai Pei Si: “We’re a motley crew of technologists and bankers with a clear purpose to build the bank forward” GXBank is the frontrunner in inclusive, technology-driven financial services in Malaysia. Its CEO Lai Pei Si discussed the bank’s journey since its ... 7583
Speeches and Presentations Mar 08 Digital Banking Annual Meeting 2024: Shaping the future through AI Industry leaders converged in Seoul to explore the transformative potential of emerging technologies like AI and blockchain, and highlighted the imper... 4372
Speeches and Presentations Mar 08 Digital Banking Annual Meeting 2024: Shaping the future through AI Industry leaders converged in Seoul to explore the transformative potential of emerging technologies like AI and blockchain, and highlighted the imper... 35912
Interviews Feb 21 SBI’s Krishnan: “We prioritise high availability, scalability and security” Vidya Krishnan discusses YONO’s global expansion and its integrated super app strategy, catering to diverse customer needs with over 60 million regi... 4758
Excerpt Feb 20 HNB drives growth amid Sri Lanka's economic odds Hatton National Bank (HNB) defies Sri Lanka's macroeconomic constraints by delivering outstanding retail banking performance in 2023. Sanjay Wijemanne... 5913
Interviews Jan 19 TymeBank becomes South Africa’s first profitable digital bank The bank achieved profitability in less than five years, with co-founder and CEO Coen Jonker highlighting the company’s success in South Africa and ... 12069
Interviews Nov 30 Nium’s Gandhi: “We are trying to change how payments work” Nium co-founder and COO Pratik Gandhi discussed the company’s global real-time payments expansion. Since acquiring its Australian licence seven year... 3521
Mar 15 Starling’s Engine grows SaaS business with mobile-first platform Sam Everington, CEO of Engine, Starling Bank’s technology arm, discussed the advantages of the cloud-native and modular Software-as-a-Service bankin... 11031
Speeches and Presentations Apr 02 Mox’s Barbaros Uygun: “Refrain from tech innovation as a primary goal" Barbaros Uygun, CEO, MOX Bank, in his keynote speech at The Asian Banker Finance Vietnam 2022, shares the story of how Mox became a leading digital ba... 37748
Research Note Dec 31 Digital asset outlook 2022: Will the momentum continue? The total capitalisation of digital assets surged three-fold in 2021, with strong evidence that the momentum is likely to continue into the new year. ... 30576
Research Note Jul 23 Mox and ZA Bank lead Hong Kong’s virtual bank race A year after Hong Kong issued eight digital banking licences, Mox and ZA Bank have emerged as the early leaders. Together with WeLab, the three banks ... 19614
Current Account Apr 26 Central bank proposes domestic card scheme for South Africans The South African Reserve Bank, the country’s central bank, published a consultation paper that looks into the possibility of setting up a first-eve... 9644
AB500 Jan 29 Saudi Arabian and Egyptian banks demonstrate capital strength as Middle Eastern and African peers reveal weakness amid heightened stress National Commercial Bank and Banque Misr emerged as the strongest bank by balance sheet in the Middle East and Africa respectively in 2020. Banks in S... 21259
AB500 Jan 27 Hong Kong banks prove balance sheet resilience as Asia Pacific players suffer credit and profit stress Bank of China (Hong Kong) emerges as strongest bank by balance sheet in Asia Pacific in 2020. While the majority of banks in the region maintained ade... 27662
Research Note Apr 15 New players, new practices and new technologies in an evolving payments landscape Several key themes emerged amidst the many discussions by global leaders in payments, including QR code, blockchain, credit card schemes, fintech and ... 6951
Opinion Apr 01 "Apple's new credit card is just an incremental change that reinforces the dominance of banks in the digital finance space" Apple's new digital credit card, launched with Goldman Sachs, only buys the Western players a little more time in democratising payments and catching... 6279
Opinion Sep 27 Card service tax will drive down Malaysia’s credit cards-in-force in 2019-2020 ... 10833
Co-published Dec 07 CMB experiments with emerging technologies and social media channels to boost credit card business ... 7685
TABLive Nov 30 Memoirs of a Citibank technology warrior: "Banks should tolerate a bit of diversity" ... 8421
Round Up Nov 23 Highlights from the Singapore Fintech Festival – Financial inclusion to the fore ... 5571
Opinion Nov 16 Memoirs of a Citibank technology warrior - The “Systematics” project (Part 3 of 4) ... 7601
Opinion Nov 15 Memoirs of a Citibank technology warrior - The global cards project (Part 2 of 4) ... 8295
Interviews Nov 29 A challenging time for Earthport as it tries to scale Newly appointed chief commercial officer at Earthport Mike Steinharter discussed how the company aims to expand globally and into new segments to incr... 8163
Research Note Feb 03 Retail banking in the United Arab Emirates: Evolving and already competitive ... 6777
co-published video Dec 09 China Citic Bank wins the Best Customer Relationship Management Award in China for 2013 ... 5313
