CEE fintechs step up as consumers dump cash
Fintechs in emerging Europe have seen a surge in demand for their services since the start of the Covid-19 crisis as consumers move away from cash and businesses look for new sources of credit. Three leading firms in the region...
The pitfalls of India’s JAM
Picture this: you are the leader of a developing country. Out of 1.4 billion people, nearly 70% live in rural areas, over 20% are illiterate and 22% live below the poverty line of $1.90 a day, according to the World...
Coronavirus: Italy’s banks and SMEs face crisis if shutdown persists
Duomo square, Milan, on Wednesday: devoid of the usual throng of people on the second day of a lockdown across Italy Italy could provide a showcase for what is to come elsewhere in Europe as businesses are hit by the...
Asian banks, buffeted by coronavirus, ramp up continuity plans
Workers pass a thermal scanner as part of the coronavirus outbreak precautions during a media preview at the Singapore Airshow on Saturday Singapore is the latest country to feel the heat from the coronavirus. On Monday, it announced its 45th...
ECR survey results Q2 2020: Covid-19 crisis increases the economic and political risks for US, Japan, Europe and EMs
The shock resulting from the lockdown measures taken to stop the spread of coronavirus is once again dominating the global risk picture, causing analysts to downgrade key economic factors in second quarter of 2020 and reassess the fiscal implications of...
Investment opportunities, not drawdowns, are the biggest challenge for sovereign funds
One of the curiosities of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the economic carnage it has wrought, is that it has not prompted countries to draw down on the funds they have built to provide resilience at moments exactly like these. The...
Hong Kong: BEA and Elliott show solidarity but doubts linger over bank’s future
David Li, chairman of Bank of East Asia Bank of East Asia (BEA) and activist shareholder Elliott Management put a long-running legal dispute on hold, announcing a strategic review of the Hong Kong lender’s operations just weeks before the start...
Asia is the new battleground for European transaction banking
Asia is the fastest-growing transaction banking market globally, as banks vie for cash and trade business beyond their core remit. European banks are particular attracted to the region, as corporates based in Asia hope to diversify away from Asian and...
Banking: New decade, similar problems
How does the banking industry look as we enter a new decade? It’s worth taking a look back at the one that just finished before we do that. January 2010 was still the worst of times for banking. It’s easy...
Bancassurers are thriving again, but for how long?
It’s not meant to be like this. In the new digital world, banks are supposed to be financial supermarkets, developing internationally transportable distribution platforms with high-value third-party products. Even loans and deposits – certainly insurance and savings products – should...