The Asian Banker China Innovation Tour 2016, held from November 21 to 25, offered insights into the operations, strategies, technologies and values that innovative Chinese e-commerce and fintech companies develop and deploy. They provide a roadmap for organisations attempting to compete in the new connected and digitised marketplace.

The “super regional bank” strategy adopted by a few banks in the retail and wealth segment has produced a mixed bag of results. Many banks have lost money in the process. So, is the model flawed or do the problems lie elsewhere?

Dusan Stojanovic, founder and director of True Global Ventures, shares his journey in entrepreneurship and building his customer base.

Paul Gardner, head of structured commodities finance at Westpac, believes that while banks play an important role in managing risk in the commodity supply chain, consumers are also at the forefront of driving change in the commodities super-cycle.

Cisco believes that the right digital strategy will pave way for a convenient, personalised and secure experience for banking customers through an omni-channel experience.

Following the success of the Singles' Day, Alibaba has ventured on another e-commerce event dubbed as 12.12, first introduced in 2013. The company has taken advantage of these shopping festivals to push its online presence amidst a strong competition within the e-commerce market.

Digitisation in the cross-border money transfer industry might leave fewer opportunities for incumbent banks and operators to grow. How they cultivate alliances and digital innovation to stay ahead of competitive will be critical moving forward.

The combination of slowing global economic growth, record low interest rates, increasing costs of regulatory compliance, and pace of financial disruption that demands greater investments is making many transaction banks relook their business propositions and operating models.

Alibaba's Singles' Day has surpassed global records for e-commerce sales, taking a total of $17.8 billion this year. However, there are concerns whether the one-day event held every 11th November can sustain its large growth in the coming years.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam, deputy prime minister and chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, spoke about the critical factors that will drive the success of fintech during the Singapore Fintech Awards 2016.

New proofs of concepts have emerged in blockchain as the industry tackles various impediments to its successful adoption. The technology initiatives would need to be complemented with stronger collaborative efforts and interoperability for future growth.

Ravi Menon, managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, talks about the general principles guiding the regulator towards the creation of a Smart Financial Centre during the Singapore Fintech Festival - Fintech Conference 2016

Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, has announced the demonitisation of high currency notes as part of a revolutionary move to curb the proliferation of illegal money in the local market. The action aims to improve tax collections and economic growth in the country.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore's deputy prime minister and chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, at the launch of LATTICE80, spoke about how the country is developing a fintech ecosystem, including the venture capital sector that will allow start-ups to thrive.

Piyush Gupta, chief executive officer of DBS Singapore, received the highest remuneration among bank CEOs in the Asia Pacific region in 2016, while top executives of many Chinese banks had high reductions in their compensations.