The Asia Pacific banking sector will benefit from the improving global and regional economic conditions in 2018. Overall, better asset quality is expected, and banks will maintain relatively stable profitability and capitalisation. Nevertheless, there are growing concerns over the potential asset price corrections, high private debt, and geopolitical risks.

The 2017 China Private Wealth Dialogue discussed how wealth management advisors and private bankers balance technology and service, while addressing client needs and interest in asset allocation and philanthropy

The world is currently experiencing such favourable conditions for growth that some economists have described them as "Goldilocks" or "just right". However, there is a flipside, it will not last.

Cyber-threats have become increasingly complex, inflicting high monetary and reputational damages to institutions that, despite various measures, are forced to plan “catch up” to the advanced technology of criminals. As regulators expand advisories, the institutions now need stronger multi-layered cyber-resilient initiatives.

Ciko Thomas, who runs retail banking at Nedbank, talks about how the move towards digital, combined with prudent asset growth and strong cost management, can yield long terms sustainable results in profitability and customer service

Leading the technology transformation in VietinBank, Tran Cong Quynh Lan, the bank’s deputy general director, explains the changes in its technology infrastructure and challenges it faced in the transformation process

The Internet of Things offers potential opportunities in retail and corporate banking and will fuel the rise of new types of clients in the form of smart cities and autonomous artificial intelligence driven market agents.

Banks in China will still continue to seek more stable sources of income and more organic generation of capital

Australian banks are moving towards increased digitalisation, leveraging technological advancements to ensure seamless customer experience in providing better retail banking products and services.

In general, industry assets under management in selected Asia Pacific countries shows sustained growth trends up to 2018. However, the shares of top banks in total assets under management differ widely, wherein top banks in emerging markets have higher market shares compared to top banks in mature markets.

Digital currencies have been hogging media headlines, with some countries jostling to attract start-ups in the cryptocurrency and underlying blockchain technology space. But will this bring cryptocurrencies into the mainstream?

Spurts in prices of cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings over the last two years, with start-ups raising millions in minutes, have raised excitement and regulatory attention amid fear of “bubble” and potential losses.

The Swiss banking sector is characterised by its stability. But presently, innovation is needed to enable institutions to deal with the changing regulatory landscape

The pace of regulatory reform has been relentless since the global financial crisis. From D-SIBs, TLAC, MiFID 2 to FRTB, the chain of regulatory acronyms that banks have to grapple with seem endless. Yet, are these measures working to make the banking system more secure or does their complexity cripple banks’ efficiency?

To alleviate customers from the hassles of banking, Security Bank launched a pro-customer product, shifted from being operations-centric to being sales-oriented, and streamlined its processes.