As Thailand’s auto finance market contracts and demand shifts toward electric vehicles, KLeasing is using digital origination, automated servicing and KBank’s distribution network to improve efficiency and generate revenue beyond loan origination.

This year’s awards recognised Philippine banks that are strengthening retail, SME and transaction banking through digital capabilities, integrated platforms and scalable operating models.

Jose Teodoro “TG” Limcaoco’s leadership has expanded BPI’s scale, strengthened operating efficiency and advanced its digital transformation, earning him the Best Bank CEO in the Philippines award and BPI recognition as the Best Managed Bank in the Philippines.

Financial Markets Weekly: NVIDIA partners with six investment groups to mobilise $500 billion for AI infrastructure, Goldman Sachs agrees to acquire NEOS Investments for up to $2.25 billion and Nasdaq buys LeveL Markets.

UOB’s wealth income continued to grow as net interest margin narrowed and the bank lowered its fee-income growth outlook. It is looking to corporate and foreign direct investment relationships as another source of private-banking growth, while concentrating resources on advisory, distribution and customer infrastructure.

Finance Philippines 2026 examined how artificial intelligence is moving beyond experimentation into financial-services workflows, raising questions around measurable business value, autonomy, accountability and the organisational capabilities needed to deploy AI at scale.

OCBC posted 13% profit growth and raised loan guidance after exceptional M&A-driven expansion, but CET1 fell to 14%, testing whether digital infrastructure and energy financing sustain momentum.

As cross-border payments become more sophisticated, DBS Bank's Sriram Muthukrishnan argues that competitive advantage will increasingly belong to banks that understand customer intent first, then hide the growing complexity of payment infrastructure behind a simpler customer experience.

Retail Finance Weekly: Mercado Pago's credit portfolio grew 75% to $16 billion, Revolut secured a French banking licence, Nu México became a fully licensed bank, and CBA reported weaker mortgage demand.

TAB Africa Weekly Brief: Kenya holds its policy rate at 8.75% and approves its first banking-sector ETF, Afreximbank extends Chad a EUR 110 million facility, and the IMF finds Ghana's banking system broadly resilient to a gold-price shock.

TAB Middle East Weekly Brief: Central Bank of Libya's governor resigns, the World Bank approves $100 million for Syria's financial-sector modernisation, Egypt's financial inclusion rate reaches 79%, and Standard Chartered flags expanding Islamic-finance corridors.

Transaction Finance Weekly: Wells Fargo launches tokenised deposits for corporate clients, Deutsche Bank gains direct RMB clearing in Frankfurt, Klarna goes live on JP Morgan Payments' US platform, and Maybank Singapore joins MAS's programmable settlement initiative.

Wealth and Society tracks a week of record wealth growth and major asset-management deals, led by record results from DBS and OCBC, and UOB's agreement to sell its asset manager to Allianz Global Investors.

Risk and Capital Weekly Brief: RBI proposes a G-SIB leverage buffer, the Fed launches a private-credit risk survey, UOB sells its asset-management unit and HSBC resumes buybacks as banks recalibrate capital and lending.

Scaling AI in banking depends on trusted data, proportionate governance and skilled people. As adoption expands, banks need to embed controls into daily workflows while building the capabilities to use AI effectively and responsibly.