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Tag: Banking

  • Japanese, Vietnamese cooperation in finance, banking a successful marriage

    Japanese, Vietnamese cooperation in finance, banking a successful marriage

    Japanese enterprises in banking and finance are now the biggest foreign shareholders in Vietnamese banks, financial and financial leasing companies, and their Vietnamese partners highly regard their expertise and support.

    Recently, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank (SMTB)—the largest trust bank in Japan with total assets of $585.4 billion—has bought 49 per cent of BIDV Financial Leasing Company and renamed it BIDV-SuMi TRUST Leasing Limited Company. The joint venture took place as an expansion of their strategic cooperation since 2013.

    According to a VIR source, another investor from Japan is negotiating to buy 49 per cent of VPBank Finance Company Limited (FE Credit). These two examples evidence Japanese investors’ attention on the Vietnamese financial market and Vietnamese banks’ interest in cooperating with them.

    Previously, Military Bank (MB) transferred 49 per cent of Mcredit Consumer Finance Company’s shares to Shinsei Bank and HDBank transferred 49 per cent of HDFinance’s shares to Credit Saison Co., Ltd. Le Huu Duc, chairman of MB’s board of directors, said the reason for the cooperation was that Japanese investors “have the advantage of modern technology and experience in consumer finance.”

    Because of the interest from Japanese investors and their strong finances, there are more cooperation deals in the making.

    Currently, numerous banks and financial companies in Vietnam, including giants like BIDV and soon maybe Agribank, are calling for investment from strategic foreign investors.

    Increasing cooperation with Japanese investors

    Besides transferring shares, a range of big Vietnamese banks also cooperate with Japanese banks to look for business opportunities as Japanese FDI is increasing.

    At the end of February 2017, BIDV signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on serving Japanese customers in Vietnam with Fukuoka Bank, the 16th biggest bank in Japan.

    Similarly, VietinBank and Vietcombank also signed dozens of MoUs with Japanese partners. In particular, Vietcombank signed with approximately 60 Japanese banks.

    Following the trend, other commercial banks also seek Japanese partners and have even established a new service called Japan Desk to support clients form Japan.

    Besides VietinBank, Vietcombank, and BIDV, Sacombank, HDBank, TPBank, and others offer this service.

    “There are more and more Japanese firms entering the Vietnamese market. The two countries have similar cultures and retail banking strategies, so the cooperation can promote both parties’ strengths and often results in high efficiency,” said a leader of Sacombank.

    Japanese clients require perfect and diversified services, while capital and the range of services in Vietnam is limited.

    One can expect an increasing trend of teaming up among Japanese and Vietnamese banks in the coming time. This will be beneficial for all parties.

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  • Standard Chartered Looks at Strategic Options for its Indonesia Business

    Standard Chartered Looks at Strategic Options for its Indonesia Business

    Standard Chartered said its troubled principal finance unit toted up a $650 million loss last year, weighing on the bank’s efforts to improve returns. Standard Chartered’s net loss for 2016 narrowed to $478 million from $2.36 billion in 2015, but revenue and profit figures fell short of analysts’ expectations and the stock fell 5%.

    The emerging-markets focused bank said it sharply marked down its private equity stakes in companies in Africa, Asia and India, as it prepares to exit from the principal finance business in the next couple of years. It said its risk committee reviewed processes and controls in the unit last year, amid the losses and probes by U.S. and other authorities into alleged bribery at a portfolio company, power plant builder Maxpower Group Pte. Ltd.

    Standard Chartered said the unit will be stripped out of its underlying results going forward, with any gains or losses treated as restructuring costs. The principal finance unit manages around $5 billion for Standard Chartered and external investors. The bank’s exposure is around $2 billion.

    Standard Chartered’s smaller full-year loss was the result of a near-halving in bad loans across its businesses. But revenue dropped by 11% to $13.8 billion from $15.4 billion. Standard Chartered blamed the fall on a range of factors including negative revenue in principal finance, dollar strength against emerging market currencies and lower client activity.

    Fourth-quarter revenue was $3.53 billion, up from $3.26 billion in the fourth quarter of 2015. The bank said significant further improvement is needed.

    Chief Executive Bill Winters said the bank is on a stronger foundation after cutting costs and selling around a dozen businesses since he started as CEO in June 2015. He said the bank will look at strategic options this year for its Indonesia business, currently run through two banks.

    Standard Chartered operates under its own name in the country and holds a 44.6% stake in PT Bank Permata. Mr. Winters said the bank is fully committed to Indonesia but wants to operate through a single entity there.

    He said shifts in global trade and potential U.S. protectionist policies posed a threat to the bank, but also opportunity as trade flows realign. “If the U.S. for whatever reasons or through whatever political process makes itself a less desirable trading partner, there are other countries that will want to fill that gap,” Mr. Winters told reporters.

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  • Krungsri gears up for return of investors from Japan

    Krungsri gears up for return of investors from Japan

    Bank of Ayudhya, commonly known as Krungsri, is reinforcing its commercial banking after seeing a return by Japanese companies considering investment in the Kingdom in light of the government’s “Thailand 4.0” industrial goals.

    Pornsanong Tuchinda, head of commercial banking, said yesterday that healthcare and wellness and real estate were currently the priority focus of Japanese businesses looking to invest in Thailand again since the government announced the Thailand 4.0 industrial-development policy.

    The actual level of new Japanese investment will be seen when these companies have a clear picture of development plans under the policy, he added.

    Japanese companies invested in Thailand have been a crucial part of the customer base for Krungsri’s commercial-banking operations since 2015, reflecting the successful integration between the Thai bank and BTMU (Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ) Bangkok Branch, which is part of Japan’s MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group), he said.

    Pornsanong said Japanese investors were currently eyeing healthcare and wellness business in Thailand because of this country’s increasingly “greying” population.

    Japan has expertise in healthcare and wellness in light of its own ageing population, while real estate is another business that investors are keen on because of its being tourism-related.

    The bank will offer investors total financial solutions, catering to corporate customers that may not only require financing but also financial advice and business-matching services, he said, adding that Krungsri would therefore focus more on how to deliver a package of solutions to such clients.

    A number of medium-sized Thai hospitals also are interested in expanding their healthcare and wellness business, presenting a further opportunity for the bank’s commercial-banking arm, he said.

    Last year, the unit enjoyed loan growth of 11 per cent, with outstanding lending rising to Bt642 billion thanks to the financing of major deals involving Siam City Cement, which acquired a cement business in Sri Lanka; Central Group, which purchased a retail business in Vietnam; and Thai Union Group, which acquired a business in the European Union, Pornsanong said.

    Excluding those large deals, loan growth was 7-8 per cent.

    This year, while the bank’s commercial-banking arm targets 5-per-cent growth due to fewer big deals on the horizon, it should still outpace its peers thanks to the recovering Thai economy and Thailand 4.0-related business activity, he predicted.

    Moreover, with the unit’s customer base sufficiently large for the provision of improved total solutions, it wants to give more importance to the quality of customers and offer value-added solutions to its current clients, he explained.

    Commercial banking at Krungsri covers corporate customers with annual sales revenue of more than Bt1 billion, and small and medium-sized enterprises with annual revenue below that level.

    Based on the loan-growth target of 5 per cent, most lending this year will be contributed by medium-sized enterprises, a segment in which the bank has witnessed lending demand, he said.

    “These firms [mid-sized enterprises] are more confident in the Thai economy, and many of them are in retail, where there is purchasing power but consumer sentiment |has not yet returned. If sentiment improves, purchasing power will be released and SMEs will benefit.

    “On the other hand, most corporate customers are not requiring new lending at present, as they first want to see how the global trade situation settles,” the commercial-banking head said.

  • Mobile banking to have nearly 3b users by 2021

    Mobile banking to have nearly 3b users by 2021

    Juniper Research predicts that by 2021, nearly 3 billion users will be using retail banking services on smartphones, tablets, PCs and smartwatches, up 53% from 2017.

    The new research titled “Retail Banking: Digital Transformation & Disruptor Opportunities 2017-2021” also predicts that usage will continue to rise as consumers increasingly opt for banks offering the convenience of rapid, multi-channel digital services. This means that banks will need to focus on providing a more frictionless digital experience to their customers, especially if they are to remain market leaders.

    According to Juniper while traditional banks have so far remained a step behind in delivering innovation and maintaining their competitive edge against new Fintech players, the situation is gradually changing.

    “Technology is currently the big differentiator for all types of banks; including traditional banks and the so-called challenger banks. Investments in banking technology reached record levels in 2016 and traditional banks are expected to focus on digital transformation initiatives”, added research author Nitin Bhas.

    Juniper predicts that in 2017, big banks will acquire challenger players including tech-startups and digital-only banks, and this will further accelerate the rollout of traditional players’ digital strategy.

    Juniper’s Digital Transformation in Banking Readiness Index analyzed leading global tier-1 banks to evaluate their digital transformation readiness scores and highlight their respective positioning within the digital innovation roadmap.

    Its list of leading banks for digital transformation include Banco Santander, Bank of America, Barclays, BBVA, BNP Paribas, Citi, HSBC, JP Morgan Chase, RBS, Société Générale, UniCredit and Wells Fargo.

    Juniper says these banks are progressing rapidly towards the final stages of digital transformation with heavy investments, have excellent digital portfolios, and are already witnessing significant cost savings.

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  • Bank Rakyat to enter Indonesia mart in Q2 this year

    Bank Rakyat to enter Indonesia mart in Q2 this year

    Bank Rakyat will enter the Indonesian market in the second quarter (Q2) of this year after getting approval from the authorities, including Bank Negara Malaysia.

    To this end, the bank said, it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia’s largest bank, Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), today.

    In a statement, the bank said, the collaboration would enable both banks to provide money order services to over 700,000 Indonesians in Malaysia.

    Its Chief Retail Banking Officer, Mohd Shahril Isa, said Malaysia has the highest number of money order transactions worth US$1.9 bilion (US$1 = RM4.44) to Indonesia in 2016.

    “This is one of the main factors for Bank Rakyat to expand its banking services to the country,” he said.

    BRI was set up in 1895 and has 50 million retail clients, with over 10,612 business and services branches all over Indonesia, while Bank Rakyat is the largest Islamic cooperative bank in Malaysia with 147 branches.

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  • AXA Financial Indonesia seeks new customers from digital platform

    AXA Financial Indonesia seeks new customers from digital platform

    Life insurer AXA Financial Indonesia, part of the AXA Indonesia Group, launched a digital tool to expand its customer base on Monday.

    The tool provides easy access to information for several purposes, namely creating a children’s education fund, retirement fund, business capital and tourism or pilgrimage fund.

    AXA Financial Indonesia chief agency officer Nina Ong said the tool and products were directed at modern dynamic citizens, ages 25 to 45 years old.

    The company expects the tool to help attract 20 percent to 30 percent of such citizens as its new clients and expand its customer base, which is now served by about 14,000 agents.

    AXA Financial Indonesia’s move is part of an overall strategy by the insurance industry, which has continued to report low insurance penetration despite Indonesia’s status as the largest economy in Southeast Asia.

    Data from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) shows that the insurance penetration ratio stood at 2.63 percent only, as of September, below the ratios in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand at over 5 percent.

    AXA Financial Indonesia booked Rp 1.44 trillion (US$108.03 million) in total revenue in the first nine months of 2016, a more than sixfold increase compared to the same period in 2015, supported by positive results in its investments.

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  • Retail offers banks a lifeline

    Retail offers banks a lifeline

    Retail customers offer a silver lining for banks amid tepid demand in corporate lending and the fragile state of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), says Kasikorn Research Center (KResearch).

    Lending to individual customers in 2017 is expected to continue to outshine overall loan growth and the traditional mainstay of Thai lenders — commercial loans — said the research unit of Kasikornbank (KBank) in a report.

    KResearch forecasts 5.5% growth in retail loans this year, compared with 3% in commercial loans and 4% in overall lending.

    Over the past few years, retail lending also grew at a faster pace than overall and commercial loans. Retail loans rose by 6.2% in 2015 and 4.5% in 2016, well above 2.9% and 1.5%, respectively, for commercial loans those two years and 4.0% and 2.5% for overall lending, according to KResearch data.

    Thai banks’ exposure to retail loans is expected to climb to 35% this year from 34.5% last year, with SME loans steady at 39.7%, said the report. The share of large corporate loans or so-called wholesale banking is projected to fall to 25.3% from 25.8%.

    As Thailand’s economy has struggled with subpar growth since 2013, it is not a surprise banks have pushed into the retail banking business — mortgages, credit cards and personal loans in particular — as companies’ investment projects have stalled. Companies have also turned to debt instruments to raise capital because of low interest rates.

    Retail banking business offers a better profit margin than corporate loans, but carries lower default risks than loans to SMEs struggling with the uneven economic turnaround.

    Moreover, retail borrowers, white-collar workers in particular, on average have seen their income continue to grow slowly, while the unemployment rate remains low at less than 1%.

    “We expect retail lending will deliver the strongest growth in that segment this year as large corporates move toward the capital market for fund mobilisation, while only a handful of banks, especially large lenders, have expertise in SMEs lending,” said Thanyalak Vacharachaisurapol, deputy managing director of KResearch.

    “Even though retail loan growth is expected to increase at a fast clip, overall lending will only record single-digit growth as banks remains cautious amid high household leverage. However, the end of the lock-up period for the first-time car buyer scheme will add to consumer purchasing power this year.”

    The lock-up period is five years for most cars bought under the excise tax rebate scheme. KResearch estimates some 320,000 car owners, representing 30% of those in the first-time car buyer scheme, will have their lock-up period end this year, and some may consider replacing their cars.

    Auto-hire purchase is expected drive retail lending growth this year, said the report.

    KResearch predicts auto loans will expand 3% this year, up from zero last year, while housing loans — accounting for more than half of retail lending — are expected to grow steadily at 7%.

    Although banks will likely focus on retail banking business this year, lenders’ focus areas will be diverse, said the report.

    Krungthai Bank (KTB) and Siam Commercial Bank plan to pay more attention to the wealth customer segment to offset fee-based income expected to be hit by PromptPay, electronic money transfer under the government’s national e-payment scheme.

    KTB, the country’s second-largest lender by total assets, aims to increase assets under management (AUM) for wealthy clients by 25% this year from 600 billion baht. Its provincial customer base is the bank’s strength for expanding both its wealthy client numbers and its AUM.

    KBank, the country’s fourth-largest lender by assets, set a total loan growth target of 4-6% and retail loan growth of 5-7%, with mortgages contributing the highest growth among other retail lending.

    Bank of Ayudhya (BAY) targets double-digit growth for its retail banking business this year compared with total loan growth of 6-8%. The bank recorded the highest loan growth among its industry peers last year at 11.2%, with retail blazing the trail, increasing 15.9%.

  • International Commercial Bank Lao Wins GBO 2016 Awards

    International Commercial Bank Lao Wins GBO 2016 Awards

    International Commercial Bank Lao Limited provides banking and related financial services in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. It offers various deposit products, including current, savings, education fund savings, and senior citizen savings accounts; and fixed deposits, fixed deposits with advanced interest, demand deposits, and term deposits.

    The company also provides loans, such as vehicle/auto express loans, housing/shoplot/mortgage loans, and educational loan schemes; and other services comprising bills discounting and bank guarantees. In addition, it offers international banking services, such as inward and outward remittances, import/export collections, documentary letters of credit, and foreign currency operations. The company provides its products and services through head office and two branches located in Vientiane; and one branch located in Pakse.

    The company is headquartered in Vientiane, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. International Commercial Bank Lao Limited is as a subsidiary of Asia Investment and Financial Services Co., Ltd.

    Mr. Zulkiflee Kuan Shun Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of International Commercial Bank Lao Ltd. Upon receiving this award said “We are indeed honoured to win the “Best Retail Bank – Laos 2016″ award by Global Business Outlook. This would not be possible without the dedication, hard work and commitment from all the staff and the support from the stakeholders. It has been a great achievement for the Bank in 2016. The Bank has been accorded awards in the same category by 2 other international publications. These awards are recognition of their invaluable contribution to the Bank. The stakeholders share this award with all the staff and together we will continue to strive to provide Value Banking to our customers. ”

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  • Diversification is driving Brunei’s banking sector forwards

    Diversification is driving Brunei’s banking sector forwards

    As a result of a wider economic expansion and diversification strategy, Brunei’s banking sector is growing at a rapid rate and attracting a new wave of international players

    Despite its small size, Brunei, a southeast Asian nation on the island of Borneo, is a formidable economic power in the region. A thriving oil sector has ensured a very high standard of living for the population. However, similar to many oil-producing nations in the present climate of plummeting prices and global oversupply, the economy’s reliance on the energy industry has become problematic. In response, the Brunei Government is taking comprehensive steps to reduce the economy’s reliance on oil and gas revenue and instead focus on the growth and development of local businesses.

    In 2015, ASEAN – of which Brunei has been a member since 1984 – established the ASEAN Economic Community, achieving a major milestone in regional economic integration. “The integration of ASEAN members can potentially represent a huge opportunity for growth”, said Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank. As such, the possible increase in trade and investment flows, which will result from a single market for goods, services, capital and labour, can open the doors to a far broader customer base for Bruneian banks, while also enabling local SMEs to venture outside of the country.

    National interests
    With the recent implementation of Darussalam Enterprise (DARe), a statutory body established by the government earlier in the year to monitor and nurture the development of local enterprises in Brunei, diversifying the economy and supporting SMEs has become a major priority for a nation that is heavily dependent on revenue from the oil and gas sector. “We have always had a strong focus on SMEs, which has consistently been one of our major customer groups from the very beginning”, Imhof told World Finance. “With the establishment of DARe and its assistance in the development of SMEs, I hope to see the SME market develop to become even more competitive locally, and to eventually become competitive internationally as well. In line with our commitment to develop local businesses and SMEs, Baiduri provides a wide range of financial products to businesses in order to ease their cash flow management and support their growth.”

    Baiduri Bank recently rolled out enhancements to its online banking platforms to coincide with the growing demand for flexibility

    The bank also offers Business i-Banking, Baiduri’s internet banking facility catering specifically for businesses. “Our aim is to provide customers with a modern, user-friendly and secure channel for businesses to manage their banking more efficiently”, Imhof said.

    In April of last year, Baiduri introduced Business Banking – a new unit as part of its retail banking division – that was designed to target the growing number of SMEs in Brunei. According to Imhof, the unit serves to complement the bank’s corporate banking department by tapping into non-borrowing and small-borrowing accounts. Services provided by Business Banking include card merchant services for local retailers and setting up the Baiduri Internet Gateway System, which allows retailers to accept payment from their online customers. The Business Banking unit also helps SMEs apply for credit facilities.

    Moreover, Baiduri Bank is launching a new online payment solution with affordability at its core – again with local SMEs in mind. According to Imhof: “Our latest product, known as MerchantSuite, aims to provide a very accessible and user-friendly method of facilitating online payment without the merchant needing to create their own website. This way, our SMEs are able to conduct business efficiently with minimum difficulty. With over 90 percent of our corporate clients being SMEs, Baiduri Bank clearly recognises their ability to generate revenue in the country and the vital contribution they make to the long-term economic stability of Brunei.”

    Race to expansion
    Another vital aspect to consider when trying to stay competitive in a rapidly changing society is keeping up with the latest technological innovations. In response to this necessity, Baiduri Bank recently rolled out enhancements to its online banking platforms to coincide with the growing demand for greater flexibility, in order to meet various business needs.

    This transition towards the modern digital economy also required the bank to provide a safe and secure digital environment for its customers. According to Imhof: “We continue to invest heavily in our systems to ensure a high level of service delivery along with the highest level of security in the industry.” In fact, Baiduri Bank is at present the first and only bank in Brunei to receive the PCI-DSS certification, a payment card industry standard for the secure processing, transmitting and storing of cardholder data. In line with this trailblazing approach, Baiduri Bank has implemented hi-tech security features for its online banking platforms, such as authentication via mobile or tokens, dual-factor authentication and SMS notification for logins and transactions.

    In response to a shifting customer trend towards diversified investment portfolios, Baiduri Bank launched Baiduri Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary that offers a range of global investment products and services. Baiduri Capital was also the first business in the country to launch an online securities trading platform, thereby leveraging technological developments in the global market.

    “We feel that this is the right time for the Baiduri Bank Group to go into securities trading, as there is a growing number of Bruneians looking for opportunities to build their wealth by investing in stocks and shares, in addition to deposits”, said Imhof. “Therefore, the establishment of Baiduri Capital is very much in line with the bank’s long-term strategy of playing a leading role in the development of Brunei’s financial sector and in serving the people of Brunei.”

    The timing of this strategic move was crucial. “Through our online trading platform, our customers can already trade online in various international stock exchanges, such as those in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the US”, said Imhof. As indicated by a statement made by Brunei’s financial regulator, there is more and more talk about a stock exchange being established in Brunei Darussalam in the near future. Baiduri Capital has the capacity to play an important role in educating Bruneians and building their experience of stock trading in light of this potential and significant development.

    This commitment to Brunei’s economic development is further indicated by the bank’s acquisition of the retail banking business of United Overseas Bank’s Brunei branch at the end of 2015. “We look at strengthening and developing our retail business in line with our long-term strategy”, Imhof said.

    In fact, the retail business is now a pillar of the bank’s business activities. With this acquisition, Baiduri has significantly increased its customer base in a bid to get ahead in Brunei’s challenging economic environment. “The acquisition of United Overseas Bank’s Brunei retail business was made possible thanks to Baiduri’s high level of excess liquidity and strong capital base, as evident from its credit rating of BBB/A-2 with a ‘stable’ outlook from Standard & Poor’s, which we believe reflects the bank’s excellent performance.”

    Tackling challenges
    Being rooted in the domestic market, Baiduri Bank has the competitive advantage of an in-depth knowledge of its customers and cultural preferences, in addition to having strong brand name recognition. Imhof explained: “Some of the main benefits of being a local bank are that the decision process is done internally. This allows us to tailor our products and services to specifically suit our clients’ needs. From a business banking perspective, it also means that we are able to be more flexible and faster in making decisions to grant facilities or in structuring financing options.”

    When asked about the recent arrival of the Bank of China in the Bruneian market, Imhof spoke of the move being demonstrative of the strong interest in Brunei from overseas. “Brunei’s local banks are perfectly equipped to cater to the needs of clients, just as well as, if not better than, other international banks. They can offer those clients a wide, if not wider, range of products and services. In terms of the Bank of China specifically, I believe that its presence will have a positive impact on the image of the country and that, as with any newcomer, there will be a learning curve to understanding Brunei’s unique market culture.”

    Amid the current international financial landscape, the global banking industry is operating in an increasingly regulated environment – and Brunei is no exception. “Though it is expected that the business environment will continue to face challenges, the opportunities for businesses and for the Baiduri Bank Group to grow are very promising, throughout the process of Brunei promoting economic diversification and development”, Imhof said. Moreover, the prospect of a stock exchange coming into fruition in the coming years is expected to firmly cement Brunei’s place on the map, which may encourage a surge in both local and foreign investment.

  • HSBC closes 62 more UK branches, but all Hong Kong outlets to stay open

    HSBC closes 62 more UK branches, but all Hong Kong outlets to stay open

    HSBC is shutting 62 more British branches this year, meaning the bank will have closed 340 outlets across the country within the past two years.

    But in a divergence of strategies between two of its most significant retail banking markets, the bank said it had no such plans in Hong Kong.

    “While individual branches relocate from time-to-time, there is no programme of closures in Hong Kong,” insisted HSBC spokesperson Gareth Hewett.

    The bank has about 100 branches and more than 300 standalone express bank centres in Hong Kong. It blamed the UK closures on the changing habits of its customers, adding HSBC will still have 625 branches in the country by 2018.

    “More customers are using mobile and internet banking than ever before … and fewer people are using branches. More than 90 per cent of our interactions with customers are now through our digital channels – an increase from 80 per cent last year,” said Francesca McDonagh, HSBC’s head of retail banking and wealth management for UK and Europe.

    Last year HSBC halved its branch network in India, again citing the move to digital as an important factor in the decision.

    While the lender is pursuing a digital strategy in Hong Kong, which includes digital peer-to-peer payments systems and virtual assistants for its corporate clients, these new initiatives have not led to a need to reduce its branch network here.

    More customers are using mobile and internet banking than ever before … and fewer people are using branches. More than 90 per cent of our interactions with customers are now through our digital channels – an increase from 80 per cent last year

    Francesca McDonagh, HSBC’s head of retail banking and wealth management, UK and Europe

    Across the board, branch networks in Hong Kong have remained broadly solid, though last June Bank of East Asia said that its brokerage business, East Asia Securities, would close its 22 retail outlets.

    As has become standard practise, BEA too noted the vast the majority of its transactions were now being conducted via the internet or over the phone.

    The new closures mean HSBC has shut more branches than any other major UK high street lender, but the closures are by no means unique.

    Last week, the Yorkshire and Clydesdale bank group said that it would close 79 UK branches, and, in 2015 and 2016, more than 1,000 banks were closed across Britain according to consumer group Which?

    Dominic Hook, national officer at UK’s largest trade union Unite said in a statement: “Unite is again calling on the banking industry to rethink such branch culling exercises, which do nothing to reassure customers or staff that banking is accessible and open to all.

    “Without doubt customer service in financial services will suffer if our high streets are left with no local branches.”

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  • BNI prepares Indonesia-Hong Kong worker card

    BNI prepares Indonesia-Hong Kong worker card

    State-owned PT Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) will be launching Indonesia-Hong Kong Worker Card (KPIH), a multi-function card for Indonesian employees in Hong Kong.

    The Bank had previously launched Indonesia-Singapore Worker Card (KPIS) in November 2016.

    The dissemination and soft launching event of the card was carried out in the presence of 500 Indonesian migrant workers in the Banks Hong Kong branch on Jan 22, and was attended by BNIs Vice President Suprajarto.

    “There are savings acquisition potentials, which reached 25 thousand Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong. This card has many functions. Apart from being a debit card, it can also act as a Worker Identity Card,” Suprajarto said in an official statement received by Antara here on Monday.

    The cards functions include Internet/Mobile/SMS banking facilities that ease transaction processes, access to the Banks programs information and remittance and/or bill settlement to Indonesia through BNIs Hong Kong branch or ATM machines.

    The card can also be used as a shopping card in stores with a MasterCard logo in their EDC s.

    Card holders also get a chance to join an entrepreneurship training program called “KAMI bersama BNI” (We are with BNI), as well get home credit facilities for new residential purchases or renovations through BNIs Hong Kong branch.

    As an appreciation to the Banks consumers, BNI is having a remittance fee discount program for money wiring services through the Hong Kong branch, in which transfer costs are being exempted for transactions among BNI accounts, he continued.

    Customers can also move their savings balance into a deposit account once the amount is considerably high, and they can also propose for the Worker Retirement account and auto-debit system for health and work insurances.

    For migrant workers who wish to start their own business in Indonesia, BNI also offers financial support through their Peoples Business Credit (KUR) program.

    They can simply contact the Banks small credit centers across Indonesia to submit their proposal.

    One of the programs selling points lies in its low interest rate, which is noted to be at 9 percent annually as per 2016.

    Until the end of 2016, BNI had given out credits to 386 migrant workers in Hong Kong through seven credit centers, with the loan reaching Rp5.3 billion.

    The loan is also being disposed to migrant workers who had been employed in Singapore, Japan and Taiwan.

    As of December 2016, there are 2,463 debtors, with the total amount reaching Rp38.9 billion.

  • CB Bank pursues self-service banking in Myanmar

    CB Bank pursues self-service banking in Myanmar

    Cash remains the primary payment method in many parts of Southeast Asia. In Myanmar, competition to provide cash services is intense.

    Vikram Kumar, country manager for Myanmar at the International Finance Corporation, the private arm of the World Bank Group, recently told that domestic banks in Myanmar are under pressure “to prepare themselves to cope with the demands placed on them by the expected pace of economic growth. As a consequence, most banks have upgraded or are in the process of upgrading their technology capacity.”

    Myanmar’s Co-Operative Bank Limited (CB Bank) is the latest to upgrade its banking infrastructure. Sometime earlier the bank upgraded all its existing ATMs to more secure EMV chip card technology and obtain EMV certification with both VISA and MasterCard.

    More recently, the bank ordered 500 new ATMs and cash recyclers as part of a more extensive contract for systems, software and services to expand its self-service cash offerings beyond the country’s main commercial hub Yangon.

    Diebold Nixdorf is also assisting CB Bank with the implementation of cardless cash withdrawals at ATMs. Bank customers will be able to use their mobile devices to generate a one-time PIN to activate a withdrawal at an ATM either for themselves or for a third party without requiring a bankcard.

    The technology provides an innovative person-to-person payment service to consumers especially in developing markets, and underscores Diebold Nixdorf’s commitment to drive connected commerce and help bridge the digital and physical worlds.

    CB Bank has grander ambitions beyond just upgrading its infrastructure. According to U Kyaw Lynn, CEO and Executive Vice Chairman, at CB Bank, the bank aims to become one of Myanmar’s top banks offering secure, innovative and convenient cash services across our branch, online and mobile channels.

    The rollout will mean a total of 1,000 advanced cash systems across a network of 180 CB Bank branches. Completion is expected to be by the end of 2017.

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  • Bright prospects seen for digital banking

    Bright prospects seen for digital banking

    Nguyễn Thanh Trúc in District 1 has just paid her monthly electricity bills via internet banking.

    “I have used the service for more than one year. This is a very convenient service and helps me save time from going to electricity bill collection points,” she said.

    In fact, more and more Vietnamese consumers are turning to computers, smartphones and tablets to do business with their banks. They have opted to make deposits online or online payments of electricity and water bills and even buy gold on their smartphones, according to experts.

    There is huge potential to develop digital banking in Việt Nam.

    According to a report discussed at a workshop held recently in HCM City, Việt Nam posts an internet growth rate of 9 per cent a year, ranking 15th in the world. The number of internet users accounts for 52 per cent of the country’s population.

    About 44 per cent of customers at commercial banks have used digital services.

    The fourth industrial revolution and Government policy to encourage credit card payment instead of cash have enlarged digital banking potential in the country.

    In the past, along with growth in internet and mobile device use, commercial banks in Việt Nam have been expanding and developing internet banking on mobile devices to offer better services to customers.

    To attract customers to use the Internet and mobile banking services, banks have launched promotions.

    LienVietPostBank, for instance, discounts 30 per cent of the transaction value to customers who pay bills for TV services or discounts VNĐ20,000 to customers who pay electricity or water bills using Ví Việt app until January 31.

    Similarity, at Viet Capital Bank, customers using the Payoo app to pay their TV bills of HanoiCab and MyTV Cần Thơ will be given back 30 per cent of the transaction value until January 31.

    Many banks, including VietinBank and VPBank, are offering bonus interest rates to customers who make online deposits.

    Banking finance expert Cấn Văn Lực said technology is the key to shorten the distance between banks and customers as well as help save big costs compared to traditional transaction methods.

    “Banks themselves also understand that if they do not invest in digital technology, they will be left behind. Customers today can actively perform transactions anytime, anywhere, via computer or smartphone with all types of products and services that they can conduct at a traditional banking branch,” Lực said.

    A general director of a joint stock bank, who did not want to be named, said: “A digital banking project can cost some millions of US dollars, but in the long-term, this investment is still cheaper than expanding branch networks.”

    Faster, more convenient and more secure electronic payment transactions were the targets that commercial banks were aiming for in the digital banking competition, he said.

    Lực said digital banking was certainly going to be a new way of banking for all banks.

    Transactions using digital technology would contribute 40 per cent of banking revenue in 2018, up 32 per cent compared to 2014, he said.

    “One of the factors in developing digital banking is to build trust and confidence among consumers about the security of online transactions,” he added.

    Online shopping boom

    Online shopping has been popular worldwide and Việt Nam is keeping up with the trend thanks to its active Internet use, according to a recent KPMG International’s survey.

    Chong Kwang Puay, managing partner and consumer markets lead of KPMG in Việt Nam and Cambodia, said with its high Internet penetration rate, Việt Nam would see online shopping surge soon.

    According to the survey, 18 per cent of consumers in Việt Nam and Cambodia purchased goods from an online-only retailer, such as Amazon, Lazada and Nhommua. Some 10 per cent purchased from the website of a retail shop, and only 3 per cent purchased directly from a manufacturer or brand’s website.

    The number one reason consumers gave for shopping online is the convenience of shopping. This is followed by having the ability to compare prices, or to find online sales or better deals.

    To gain consumer trust, companies and brands are recommended to improve online security and privacy protection. Most respondents (26.5 per cent) consider customer data and information protection to be of utmost importance, and 20.4 per cent consider food and product safety as the most important attributes.

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  • KBank keen to buy Indonesian banks

    KBank keen to buy Indonesian banks

    The regulations require foreign banks to buy more than one bank, and that the targets must not be strong institutions.

    KBank president Pipit Aneaknithi said yesterday that the bank currently had partnerships with two banks in Indonesia, and was prepared in terms of facilities and capital to establish its own footprint in the Indonesian market.

    While Indonesia has very high potential for KBank and the takeover of local banks is an option, the requirement that foreign banks have to purchase more than one bank is something that it might not be particularly comfortable with, he said.

    The Bank of Thailand acknowledges this concern, he said, adding that market entry via the Qualified Asean Banks (QAB) scheme is another potential solution for KBank.

    The bank is therefore interested in applying for QAB status if the scheme’s framework is implemented.

    Meanwhile, the establishment of a physical branch in Indonesia is likely to be more difficult than doing so in Vietnam, which is another focus country for KBank, the president said.

    The best solution right now for KBank is therefore seen as the continued partnership with two local banks in Indonesia, he explained.

    Elsewhere in Asean, KBank currently has physical branches in two markets, one each in Cambodia and Laos.

    The Cambodian branch will be officially opened on February 8, with the Vientiane branch in Laos due to be opened later this year.

    With the presence of a physical branch in a foreign market not always the best solution, and the cost of establishing such an operation today a major matter, partnering with local banks is a tangible way to conduct business, he said.

    However, the difficulty is whether the bank and its partners have the same policy direction and share a similar interest in accommodating clients, he added.

    KBank, meanwhile, has been active in terms of international banking business in the past seven years by focusing on China, where it is upgrading to local banking this year.

    The market share of KBank in trade finance between Thailand and China has risen from 5 per cent to 15 per cent in seven years, Pipit said.

    He said the next step for KBank in tapping a regionalised trade-finance market dominated by China would be for the bank to facilitate financial services to Thai clients for business between one foreign country and another. “We should open a letter-of-credit service to our clients in China who want to run a business in Myanmar,” he said by way of example.

    Furthermore, KBank must embrace the digital platform in order to integrate its regional operating model.

    Under its banking-platform plan for 2016-2017, KBank must be able to service cross-border mobile transfers, multicurrency transactions and cross-border direct settlement, he stressed.

    KBank yesterday reported a 2016 net profit of Bt40.17 billion, some 1.77 per cent higher than the previous year’s level.

    The bank and its subsidiaries set aside a loan-loss reserve of Bt33.75 billion at the year’s end, up 28 per cent from Bt26.37 billion the year before.

    The higher reserve reflects the rise in non-performing loans last year, from 2.7 per cent to 3.32 per cent.

    Lending growth, meanwhile, supported net interest income, for which KBank recorded year-on-year growth of 5.5 per cent to Bt89.67 billion.

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  • Axis Bank enters blockchain alliance with Ripple

    Axis Bank enters blockchain alliance with Ripple

    Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank, has entered a collaboration with distributed FinTech company Ripple to offer cross-border payments solution through Blockchain technology.

    Ripple is a blockchain-based financial settlements solution that aims to reduce the time and cost of transactions. Axis is the first bank in India to partner with Ripple.

    The technology can enable instant international money transfers, compared to the 3 – 5 day norm for international remittances, and improve efficiency of payments for Axis Bank through instant and automated reconciliation with partner banks.

    “We are committed to using innovation in technology to make banking simple and convenient for our customers,” said V Srinivasan, Deputy Managing Director, Axis Bank.

    “Remittances have been a key strategic area for us, we at Axis are excited with the tie-up and the potential that the use of Blockchain technology could deliver in enabling real-time affordable money transfers.”

    “Given its status as the fastest-growing major economy in the world and the top market for remittances, India is a very important market that is ripe for payments innovation,” said Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple. “As an early adopter of Ripple, Axis Bank will set a new standard for cross-border payments services and help us continue to grow our global network in a key region of the world.”

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