Tan Su Shan, chief executive officer of DBS Bank, and Gan Kim Yong, Singapore’s deputy prime minister and minister for trade and industry, set out how Singapore is trying to turn institutional trust into a practical advantage for AI finance.

As global transaction flows become more fragmented and operationally complex, transaction banks are being asked to do more than execute payments and financing. Increasingly, institutional clients expect them to help navigate complexity itself.

Trust Bank’s first profitable month in March 2026 is an important milestone, but the more meaningful question is whether it signals that digital banking economics in mature markets are finally becoming sustainable or whether success still depends on structural advantages that many digital challengers do not have.

As treasury operating environments become faster, more fragmented and more deeply embedded in business workflows, the focus is shifting from incremental efficiency towards real-time decision-making, integrated execution and trusted orchestration.

I&M Bank is expanding access to retail and SME banking in Kenya through a digital-led strategy supported by a hybrid distribution model. The approach is designed to deepen its integration into the country’s mobile money-driven financial ecosystem and widen access to everyday banking services.

HSBC has established a $4 billion Sustainability and Transition Credit Facility in mainland China to provide financing to eligible companies in clean power, transport electrification, data centres and artificial intelligence as they seek to expand internationally.

United Overseas Bank, Deutsche Bank and Vietcombank were recognised at the TAB Global Business Achievement Awards 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Titan Chia, Chief Information and Technology Officer at CTBC Bank, was awarded Chief Information and Technology Officer of the Year at the TAB Global Financial Technology Leadership Achievement Awards. With nearly two decades of technology leadership, he has played a key role in advancing the bank’s digital strategy and shaping the future of financial technology in Taiwan.

The TAB Global Business Achievement Awards 2026 honoured leading institutions for excellence in global transaction banking, payments, and trade and supply chain finance. The awards recognised organisations that advanced innovation, technology and client service across the global financial services industry.

At The Asian Banker Summit 2026, Minister for Digital Gobind Singh Deo argued that Malaysia’s AI ambitions require more than investment attraction. They require governments and industries to change how they operate. The country’s third phase of MyDIGITAL is being built around that premise.

The Financial Technology Innovation Awards 2026 have recognized leading-edge advancements across Asia Pacific’s banking and financial services industry. These awards celebrate achievements in blockchain technology, mobile banking, cybersecurity and digital payment infrastructure, among others.

The AI Excellence Awards 2026 celebrated these leaders for their commitment to advancing the role of artificial intelligence in banking and finance, positioning them at the forefront of technological transformation across the Asia Pacific region.

TAB Global recognised Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, MUFG Bank, BNY, and United Overseas Bank (UOB) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for their outstanding achievements in driving efficiency, enhancing customer experience, and leading transformation across transaction banking functions.

TAB Global honoured Tengku Zafrul Aziz for lifetime achievement, Hironori Kamezawa as Global CEO of the Year, MUFG as Global Bank of the Year, Kevin Lam as Best Bank CEO in Malaysia and Hong Leong Bank as Best Managed Bank in Malaysia, alongside promising young bankers and Singapore’s MAS.

At the opening plenary of The Asian Banker Summit 2026, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Finance Liew Chin Tong and former US House Financial Services Committee chairman Patrick McHenry framed a central challenge for banks: whether to become more active shapers of economic outcomes or risk being overtaken by faster-moving technological change.