Open banking has huge potential to advance client services in the Asia Pacific region. While many of the region’s financial institutions have already begun the cultural shift required to adopt open banking as a strategic objective, the fragmented regulatory landscape holds back largescale progress. This article explores how greater regulatory clarity and client buy-in can help open banking reach its full potential in the region

Industry experts highlight the rapidly evolving technology requirements such as frictionless payments, stronger data intelligence and cyber resilience to meet customers’ expectations amid the unprecedented global crisis brought about by COVID-19

Industry practitioners discuss how process of bringing offshore global supply chains back to the country of origin accelerates demand for existing and new financing programmes that provide liquidity for sub-tier level of suppliers

Global payment platform Payoneer and FTAC Olympus Acquisition Corp announced they have agreed on a merger that is expected to close in the first half of 2021.

Over the past seven years, LexinFintech has been committed to serving educated young professionals in China, a well-picked segment suited to its strengths in the consumer finance sector. Amid a burgeoning consumer market, it has embarked on a consumption-focused strategy to secure future growth, going beyond its traditional consumer finance business

Siam Commercial Bank together with FIS implemented a future-proof payment hub to increase its processing capacity and quickly launch new products in the market. The initiative is in accordance with the National E-Payment Roadmap driven by Thailand’s government and central bank to promote nationwide digital economy

“No act of goodness is too small” in philanthropy, Cindy Yu, Executive Director of Wealth and Society, remarks at annual awards dinner

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 Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the strongest in the Middle East, while Egyptian and South African banks are the strongest in Africa

Agustín Carstens, general manager of Bank for International Settlements (BIS), in a speech to Hoover Institution affiliates, Stanford University faculty and students on 27 January 2021, addressed the digitisation of money and the implications of central bank digital currencies for the monetary system.

Chinese and Japanese banks again dominate the list of The Asian Banker 500 largest banks. Balance sheet growth accelerated in the first half of 2020 and some players are reinforcing their scale and competitiveness through mergers and acquisitions

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 adequate capital and liquidity buffers, profitability has weakened amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Saudi Arabian Islamic banks continue to display strong financial performance. The growth of Islamic bank assets accelerated despite slowdown in profits

Numerous governments and central banks have launched series of fiscal and monetary policies to stimulate the economy while launching various health and security measures to contain COVID-19 and prevent potential casualties and deaths. But financial markets do not seem to have taken notice, powering to yet more new historical highs on the waves of generous state-funded liquidity.

Deutsche Bank posted its highest profits since 2007 following a strategic overhaul in 2019—strong transaction banking performance in Asia Pacific and data-driven technology investments have increased profitability

Amid the challenging pandemic environment that has dampened business volumes, depressed margins and elevated credit costs, corporate and transaction bankers are focused on rolling out a range of digitisation and sustainability-related initiatives to sustain business in 2021.