Category: Finance

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  • Kasikorn Bank announced the nine-month period of 2019 net profit of Baht 29,924 Million

    Kasikorn Bank announced the nine-month period of 2019 net profit of Baht 29,924 Million

    Ms. Kattiya Indaravijaya, President of KASIKORNBANK, said Thai economic activity in the third quarter of 2019 continued to see few supports, after growing by 2.30% in the second quarter of 2019. The Thai economy showed signs of strength in the third quarter of 2019, due mostly to the low base effect of the same period last year, especially in the tourism sector. However, exports and private investment – two major economic drivers – continued to slow in line with the sluggish global economy and trade volume amid the protracted US–China trade negotiations and concerns over Brexit risks. For the final quarter of this year, a brighter outlook seems to be in store for the Thai economy, thanks to the government’s stimulus measures.

    Operating performance for the nine–month period of 2019, KBank and its subsidiaries reported net profit of Baht 29,924 Million, and reported net profit of Baht 9,951 Million, for the third quarter of 2019.

    Operating performance for the nine–month period of 2019 compared with the same period of 2018, KBank and its subsidiaries reported net profit of Baht 29,924 Million, a decrease of Baht 1,502 Million or 4.78% over the same period of 2018. Net interest income increased by Baht 4,051 Million or 5.54% mainly due to interest income from loans to customers and investments.  NIM stood at 3.34%.  Non–interest income decreased by Baht 2,753 Million or 6.20% mainly due to a decrease in net premiums earned – net and fees waive for money transfers through digital channels, while revenue from sale of securities increased.  Moreover, other operating expenses increased by Baht 2,684 Million or 5.49%, resulting in the cost to income ratio that stood at 43.41%.  KBank has set aside higher allowance for impairment loss on loans from the preceding quarter, with prudent consideration on factors in line with uncertainties from continued economic slowdown.

    Operating performance for the third quarter of 2019 compared with the second quarter of 2019, KBank and its subsidiaries reported net profit of Baht 9,951 Million, a slight increase from the preceding quarter of Baht 22 Million or 0.23% mainly due to an increase in net interest income increased by Baht 326 Million or 1.27%.  NIM stood at 3.34%.  Moreover, non – interest income increased by Baht 2,139 Million or 15.68% due mostly to revenue from sale of securities increased.  In addition, other operating expenses was approximate to the previous quarter.  In this quarter, cost to income ratio stood at 42.52%.  However, KBank has set aside higher allowance for impairment loss on loans from the preceding quarter, with prudent consideration on factors in line with uncertainties from continued economic slowdown.

    As of 30 September 2019, KBank and its subsidiaries’ total assets were Baht 3,240,134 Million, an increase of Baht 85,043 Million or 2.70% over the end of 2018.  The majority came from an increase in investments – net and loans.  NPL gross to total loans as of 30 September 2019 stood at 3.53% while at the end of 2018 this stood at 3.34%.  Coverage ratio as of 30 September 2019 stood at 153.58%, while at the end of 2018 this stood at 160.60%.  In addition, as of 30 September 2019, KASIKORNBANK FINANCIAL CONGLOMERATE’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) according to the Basel III Accord was 19.10%, with a Tier–1 Capital ratio of 16.76%.

  • Thailand To Shine For IPOs in 2020

    Thailand To Shine For IPOs in 2020

    Amidst growing investor interests in firms focussed on Southeast Asian consumers, Thailand, and the Philippines are seeing a pick-up in initial public offerings (IPOs). Thailand is expected to shine next year, says Credit Suisse.

    Although Singapore still leads on overall first-time share sales in Southeast Asia in 2019, it has achieved this mainly through offerings of real estate and business trusts. In Thailand, 11 companies raised a total of $1.9 billion from January to 4th October, far surpassing the $100 million raised by five firms in the same period a year ago, according to Refinitiv data. The data excludes real estate and business trusts.

    We expect Thailand to be one of the stronger IPO markets in 2020. Some more large IPOs have started preparations this year and are set to list next year, said Ho Cheun Hon, head of Southeast Asia equity capital markets at Credit Suisse.

    Bankers point to the deal pipeline for Thailand next year, which includes fundraising by a subsidiary of the mega-retailer Central Group, a retail arm of oil company PTT and others.

    Ho explains that international fund managers continued to be attracted by the growth in consumption across Southeast Asia.

    On Thursday, Asset World Corporation, the hospitality and property firm listed by Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, and Philippine home furnishing retailer AllHome Corp, would start trading. The two firms have raised $1.6 billion and $285 million, respectively.

    Asset World Corporation was the largest IPO by a Thai firm, while AllHome was the Philippines’ biggest in three years. In the Philippines, Allhome is the third company to tap the local market this year, compared to just one IPO last year.

  • BNP Paribas Expands Gold Market Activities in China

    BNP Paribas Expands Gold Market Activities in China

    The bank can now participate in listed gold contracts, gold leasing and other gold derivatives business, and provide more services to its domestic and international client base.

    BNP Paribas (China) has been granted membership of the main board of the Shanghai Gold Exchange, which will allow the bank to fully participate in the Chinese gold market by offering deeper liquidity and broader product scope, it announced in a press release on Tuesday.

    SGE was set up in by the People’s Bank of China in 2002 as a center for gold, silver and platinum trading, growing to become the second-largest gold exchange globally by volume by 2018. BNP Paribas (China) started bilateral gold trading on SGE’s international board in 2017, and now conducts spot, swaps and options trading.

    Through our participation on the mainboard, we hope to position China as a global center for gold trading, Mikko Russi, BNP Paribas head of FX, Local Markets & Commodity Derivatives for Asia Pacific, said in the statement.

  • Singapore Fintech Festival 2019 Kicks Off in November

    Singapore Fintech Festival 2019 Kicks Off in November

    The Singapore Fintech Festival is set to kick off on the week of November 11 and will feature over 250 industry leaders to discuss the future of the financial services industry.

    The conference will feature a myriad of topics revolving around four key themes: the future of finance; sustainability; exponential technologies; and global investment and market opportunities.

    Various sessions will be joined by leading global industry names such as HSBC group CEO, Noel Quinn; Standard Chartered group CEO, Bill Winters; LGT group CEO, H.S.H. Prince Philipp von und zu Liechtenstein; and more.

    Last year’s Singapore Fintech Festival was widely attended with more than 45,000 participants from 130 different countries. To learn more about the Singapore Fintech Festival agenda for 2019, click here.

  • Banks Keep Hong Kong Branches Shut

    Banks Keep Hong Kong Branches Shut

    Five banks continued to demonstrate caution with 13 branches kept shut and hundreds of automatic teller machines still offline after a weekend of political unrest.

    Bank of China (Hong Kong) kept five branches open on Tuesday after closing all but one of its 200 on Saturday. ICBC has kept four branches closed.

    Bank customers are advised to use online banking or ATM services as far as possible, and check bank branches service status before visiting, said the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in a statement after revealing that 330 ATMs had been vandalized.

    Recent spate of vandalism and arson attacks have seriously affected the use of banking services by the public. Any form of vandalism and violence should be condemned.

    According to an SCMP report, banks declined to comment on cash lost but underlined that safe deposit boxes were unscathed.

    Our customers’ assets, information and all safe deposit boxes remain safe upon evaluation. We would like to reiterate that the operation of the bank remains normal, with a strong financial position and ample liquidity said BOCHK in a statement. We reiterate that our banknote supply remains normal and have stepped up our efforts to replenish cash for ATMs where practicable.

    The branches had been seriously damaged in the past few days, and are currently undertaking repair works, ICBC Asia said in another statement.

    Upon inspection and evaluation, all safe deposit boxes of the bank, and the customers’ assets and information remain safe. The operation of the bank also remains normal, with a strong financial position and ample liquidity.

  • BNP Announces Key Appointments

    BNP Announces Key Appointments

    BNP Paribas on Wednesday appointed new co-CEOs in its Asia Pacific Wealth Management division, replacing Pierre Vrielinck.

    Andy Chai, currently head of Wealth Management for Greater China, and Arnaud Tellier, head of Wealth Management Singapore and Southeast Asia, have been appointed as co-CEOs for Wealth Management in Asia Pacific, BNP Paribas said in a media statement on Wednesday. They will replace Pierre Vrielinck, who has held the position of CEO Asia Pacific previously.

    Both will report hierarchically to co-CEO of BNP Paribas Wealth Management, Vincent Lecomte, and functionally to CEO Asia Pacific of BNP Paribas Group, Eric Raynaud.

    «Our Wealth Management franchise is a cornerstone of our “One Bank” approach, enabling us to meet both the personal and professional financial needs of high net worth clients across Asia. With the rich experience of Andy and Arnaud, spanning both corporate and institutional banking as well as private banking, I look forward to the strong and sustainable growth of our Wealth Management platform for years to come,» said Raynaud.

    Chai and Tellier will assume joint responsibility for the strategic direction and operations of BNP Paribas’ Wealth Management business in the region, effective on Wednesday. Chai will have oversight of the Greater China markets including mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Taiwan and lead the strategic client segment across Asia.

    Tellier will cover Southeast Asia, India, and International markets while investment services and key support functions will report to him. David Lim, a market head for Southeast Asia, is appointed Head of Wealth Management Singapore and Southeast Asia, reporting to Tellier.

    Pierre Vrielinck, who has held the position of CEO Asia Pacific since 2017 and has grown the franchise, will return in December to a senior leadership role within BNP Paribas Wealth Management in France. Meanwhile, veteran BNP Paribas banker Mignonne Cheng will retain her role as Asia chairman for Wealth Management and continue to bring her strategic vision and client knowledge to the franchise.

    The French bank has been under pressure in Greater China recently due to a controversial post on Facebook by a previous staff in Hong Kong. The bank has since issued a statement of apology.

  • Standard Chartered Launches Sustainable Deposit Solution

    Standard Chartered Launches Sustainable Deposit Solution

    Standard Chartered will offer both its corporate and retail clients in Singapore access to a deposit solution focused on supporting financing needs related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

    U.S. dollar deposits were co-developed with sustainability research firm Sustainalytics and liquidity raised from sustainable deposits will be used to fund SDG-related activities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This follows what the bank claims to be the world’s first SDG deposit product launched in Europe by Standard Chartered in May 2019.

    While green deposits – dedicated to renewable energy – are increasing in popularity, this is the first time any bank has launched a deposit product linked to sustainability and the SDGs, said Patrick Lee, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Singapore.

    The Sustainable Deposit offers both retail and corporate clients an opportunity to address global challenges such as poverty and inequality in some of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

    With corporate banking and asset management clients already in the midst of adopting environment, social and governance-related factors when making decisions, the bank focused on the untapped potential of the retail market.

    A recent sustainability survey by Standard Chartered said that 68 percent of high net worth individuals want to create a better future through sustainable investing with a high portion of Singapore’s wealthy (43 percent) exhibiting knowledge about the space

    We are taking a cue from our clients to make sustainable retail banking a reality, and have created the world’s first Sustainable Deposit for our individual clients, Lee said.

  • KBank issues USD denominated subordinated notes worth800 million USD, with oversubscription rate at 4.4x

    KBank issues USD denominated subordinated notes worth800 million USD, with oversubscription rate at 4.4x

    KBank has announced its successful issuance of USD denominated subordinated notes (the “Notes”) with a USD800 million offering that were oversubscribed four times. Such high oversubscription rate reflects the international investors’ confidence in KBank. It is the largest South-East Asia Reg-S-Only Tier-2 note issue in more than five years, and also the first USD-denominated 12NC7 Basel-III Tier-2 tenor from Asia (excluding Japan) in nine years.

    Mr. Predee Daochai, KBank President, said that KBank issued USD denominated subordinated notes worth 800 million USD with a 12-year tenor which will be due in 2031 and can be called in their 7-years (12NC7), offering at a fixed rate of 3.343 percent per annum. The objective of the issuance of the Notes which can be counted as KBank’s Tier 2 capital is to support KBank’s foreign operations. KBank also aims to strengthen funding position for suitable long-term funding cost.

    The Notes were issued through KBank’s Hong Kong branch on October 2, 2019 and were rated Baa3 by Moody’s, and BBB by Fitch Ratings, and were listed on SGX. The notes were offered to institutional investors and they were fully subscribed quickly. Of the total investors, 81 percent were in Asia and 19 percent were in Europe. Given the rarity of a Thai bank issuance, the Notes were deliverable to high quality investors with 80 percent being taken up by funds/asset management companies, with pensions/insurers and sovereign wealth funds buying up to 8 percent. Bank treasuries accounted for 3 percent of the orderbook, with the remaining 9 percent being taken up by other institution types. BNP Paribas, Citigroup, and Standard Chartered Bank acted as joint book-runners and joint lead managers.

    The issuance of KBank subordinated notes succeeds in several aspects. For example, the total books reached USD3.5 billion, representing 4.4 times of the value of the subordinated notes offered by KBank. Such high oversubscription rate reflects the international investors’ confidence in KBank and the Thai economy. This is because it is the largest South-East Asia Reg-S-Only Tier-2 note issue in more than 5 years and longest dated Basel III Tier 2 in Reg S Only format from Asia (excluding Japan).

    Moreover, the Notes have the lowest coupon as well as spread for a South-East Asia Tier-2 note issue in more than two years. The issuance is also the first USD-denominated 12NC7 Basel-III Tier-2 tenor from Asia (excluding Japan) in 9 years and the first ever 12NC7 from Thailand.

  • Samsung Pay Cash is a new virtual prepaid card aiming to help you spend less

    Samsung Pay Cash is a new virtual prepaid card aiming to help you spend less

    Samsung Pay has come a long way since making its US and Korea debut more than four years ago, spreading to over two dozen additional markets around the world and pretty much working anywhere physical credit and debit cards are accepted nowadays. That said, the mobile payment service seems to have slowed down its expansion and development a little in the last few months, returning to the spotlight just yesterday by releasing a killer new feature that its two main rivals are yet to support.

    But there’s actually another addition to the digital wallet platform worth discussing today in Samsung Pay Cash functionality. Despite what the name suggests, this doesn’t involve the exchange of real cash money, instead of keeping your funds within Samsung Pay “like cash in your wallet.” The idea is basically to help you spend less, which feels rather counterintuitive for an app that still has a long way to go before catching up to Apple Pay in terms of how many transactions it processes worldwide.
    Apart from simply storing your conventional credit and debits cards digitally, the newly launched feature enables Samsung Pay users to transfer funds from said cards or even directly from your bank account to a “virtual prepaid cash card.” That way, you can better manage your budget by only keeping a certain amount of money on hand for routine spending. In case you’re wondering, no, Samsung isn’t also launching its own physical credit or debit card to go after you-know-who.
    Your Samsung Pay Cash funds will obviously be accessible wherever you can use the main Samsung Pay platform, which means you’ll be able to spend this money in physical stores that use either NFC or magnetic POS terminals, as well as online at supporting e-commerce retailers. You can even effortlessly send money from your Samsung Pay Cash card to contacts in your phone. By the way, you’ll still need one of only a few Galaxy devices to download and access the Samsung Pay app, as well as this Pay Cash functionality. The list essentially includes all flagships starting with the Galaxy S6.
    Last but not least, it’s certainly worth pointing out that early Samsung Pay Cash adopters have a little something, something to gain from signing up for a “virtual prepaid cash card.” The first 20,000 people in the US to complete the registration process will receive a free $5 credit that they can use immediately without having to transfer any of their own funds.
  • Standard Chartered Hires Southeast Asia Private Banking

    Standard Chartered Hires Southeast Asia Private Banking

    Following the exit of Srinivas Siripurapu from Standard Chartered, the private bank has swiftly hired a replacement.

    Cedric Lizin joins the bank as its South and Southeast Asia private banking head, following his most recent stint as the Dubai-based head of wealth management at UBS. Andrew Ho, south and southeast Asia market head at the private bank will take on interim responsibilities until Lizin joins later this year.

    The bank has been facing a flurry of regulatory hiccups including the most recent news that it was reviewing roughy 8,000 client accounts from its Dubai arm due after regulators exposed a severe lack of «know-your-client» data ranging from wealth source to even current address or phone numbers.

    In addition to regulatory challenges, the private bank also faces a high level of staff dissatisfaction, according an internal survey.  When asked if they would recommend others to work for Standard Chartered’s private banking business, the internal metric scored negatively, a report noted.

    And possibly as a means of improving morale, senior manages in the region recently delivered handwritten «thank you» cards to staff. The bank subsequently furthered the exercise by asking employees to write letters praising each other during a team bonding session.

  • HSBC Plans Yet Another Round of Job Cuts

    HSBC Plans Yet Another Round of Job Cuts

    Up to 10,000 jobs across HSBC are under threat as interim chief executive officer Noel Quinn plans to cuts costs.

    British multinational bank HSBC is set to embark on its largest cost-cutting exercise in years, and facing the ax are up to 10,000 high-paying roles across the group, citing two people close to the matter.

    The latest round oaf job cuts follows the August announcement that the lender would be laying off up to 2 percent of its global workforce (4,754 of 237,865 jobs at that time) as part of the overall group strategy to cut 4 percent of the bank’s wage costs.

    One of the sources said the cost-cutting drive and job cuts could be announced as soon as later this month, when the group announces its third-quarter results.

    Asia a Bright Spot

    There’s some very hard modelling going on. We are asking why we have so many people in Europe when we’ve got double-digit returns in parts of Asia,» a source was quoted as saying.

    The bank will also continue to hire staff in high-growth regions Asia, where the bank generates 80 percent of its profits, another person said.

  • UOB Loan to Boost Singapore’s Poultry Industry

    UOB Loan to Boost Singapore’s Poultry Industry

    Singapore Poultry Hub hopes to improve its productivity by 26 percent and its capacity by 70 percent with the new smart and green factory.

    United Overseas Bank (UOB) has just announced a loan of S$40 million ($29 million) to Singapore Poultry Hub, which will be used to set up the first smart and green poultry factory in the country, the bank announced in a press release on Monday.

    Singapore Poultry Hub is a joint venture among poultry producers and processors including Mr. Tan Chin Long, Tong Huat Poultry Processing Factory, Kee Song Holdings, Sinmah Holdings and Tysan Food.

    The smart factory will use technologies such as robotics, industrial internet of things and Industry 4.0 at the facility, which will also feature a new waste management system that converts part of the waste generated by the poultry processors into protein to be used as an ingredient in livestock feed, reducing waste by 60 tonnes per day, according to the press release.

    Our support of Singapore Poultry Hub is another example of how we are helping SMEs to transform their business and to seize opportunities from trends such as Industry 4.0, Eric Tham, head of Group Commercial Banking, UOB, said. He added that the bank is working with Singapore Poultry Hub to digitalize the collection of payments and reduce the use of cash and cheques.

  • Citi partners with Lazada to launch co-branded credit card

    Citi partners with Lazada to launch co-branded credit card

    The financial services company Citi has partnered with Lazada Group to launch the Lazada Citi credit card in Southeast Asia.

    Offering 10 times more rewards on Lazada purchases and Lazada Wallet top-ups, Citi and Lazada aim to reach more than 500,000 signups of the new card across the region during the next few years.

    “As a leading consumer lifestyle destination, we want to bring more value to our customers and a co-branded card that rewards users on their purchases,” said Mary Zhou, chief marketing officer at Lazada Group. “With the theme ‘Play-it-up’, this card brings lifestyle benefits to our valued customers advocating entertainment on top of our everyday promotions.”

    Asia Pacific cards and loans region head at Citi, Sergio Zanatti, said that through the partnership, Citi is looking to increase its consumer-banking customer base in Asia Pacific by about 2 million during the next few years.

    He said that with the new collaboration, Citi will be able to reach more potential customers who are millennials as they account for the vast majority of e-commerce customers while Lazada can now offer its customers new payment method to enhance their shopping experience through a global financial platform.

    The new credit card is already available in Malaysia and will be introduced in Lazada’s other regional markets during the next six months.

  • PayPal to Enter Chinese Digital Payments Market

    PayPal to Enter Chinese Digital Payments Market

    With the acquisition of GoPay, PayPal will become the first foreign firm to enter China’s digital payments market.

    The People’s Bank of China has approved the acquisition of a 70-percent stake in Guofubao Information Technology Co. (GoPay) by Yinbaobao, a local subsidiary of payments platform PayPal, GoPay announced in a statement earlier this week.

    Foreign players have found it tough to break into China’s digital payment space to compete with local giants, though Beijing has promised to open up this market. With the acquisition, PayPal will be the first foreign firm to receive an online payments license in China, ahead of the likes of Visa and Mastercard, who have yet to get their licenses approved.

    We look forward to partnering with China’s financial institutions and technology platforms, providing a more comprehensive set of payment solutions to businesses and consumers, both in China and globally, PayPal CEO Dan Schulman said in a statement posted on its website, adding that the deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

    GoPay, founded in 2011, is a joint venture between the China International Commerce Center (CIECC) and HNA Retailing Holding, a subsidiary of HNA Group.

  • OCBC, JCB Collaborate to Broaden Card Acceptance

    OCBC, JCB Collaborate to Broaden Card Acceptance

    The leading payment card issuer from Japan has announced a partnership to extend its reach in Singapore, bringing added convenience to cardholders in the region.

    JCB International, the international operations subsidiary of JCB, has announced a partnership with Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC Bank) to broaden the acceptance of JCB payment cards in Singapore, the two firms announced in a statement on Wednesday.

    This partnership brings added convenience to JCB cardholders in Singapore, Japan and Northeast Asia, and the «fast-growing card issuing base in Southeast Asia, the statement said. It also allows OCBC merchants to develop their business through a wider choice of payment schemes to attract more customers.

    This new partnership with JCB is an indication of our continuing work to establish a higher level of card acceptance that goes beyond Visa and Mastercard,» Desmond Tan, head of Group Lifestyle Financing, said, adding that the partnership is «an opportunity for OCBC to extend our comprehensive credit card network to a new consumer base.»

    JCB has 120 million cardmembers worldwide.