In Focus

APAC fintech deals drop to $9.3b in 2025 as private equity hits record low

APAC fintech deals drop to $9.3b in 2025 as private equity hits record low

Venture capital investment for fintechs in the region also fell to its lowest in a decade.

In Focus

Japan retail banking to hit $227b by 2033

Market revenue stood at $143.7b in 2024 with 5.2% annual growth projected.

In Focus

Indonesia’s Islamic loans to grow 10% but banks capped at 8% market share

Bank Syariah Indonesia (Persero) is likely to remain dominant.

In Focus

Singapore card payments hit $119.6b in 2025 on SME push and contactless cards

Credit and charge cards made up two-thirds of the value.

In Focus

How India’s 53% credit-to-GDP ratio exposes a lending gap

Formal borrowing is expanding but still trails the scale of domestic economic activity.

In Focus

Vietnam banks face credit split as quota phaseout looms and Basel III rolls out

Weaker, capital-constrained banks may struggle to meet regulatory changes.

In Focus

Malaysia payments flip non-cash as e-wallet usage jumps 14%

Online bank transfers also gained whilst debit and credit cards ranked last amongst users.

In Focus

How can Indian lenders balance loan growth and risk?

Reforms could help improve efficiency, especially of state banks.

Expert Opinion

Big borrower default could wipe out a year of SEA bank earnings: S&P

Brunei, the Philippines, and Thailand are the most exposed to loan concertation risk.

In Focus

Half of APAC banks hit KYC backlog as manual systems fail

In Singapore, nine institutions were fined a combined $21m for anti-money laundering failures.

In Focus

Indonesia loan demand stagnates as MSME and consumption slumps

Underlying demand for loans remains uneven although liquidity will be abundant, analyst said.

In Focus

Digital payments clock 13% growth as physical cards retreat

Super-apps reduce dependency on traditional products by bundling diverse financial tools.

In Focus

India's public banks must cut branches to hit 'world-leading' goal: S&P

Indian PSBs are inefficient due to underutilised and low-yielding branches, an analyst said.

In Focus

Only 1 in 10 banks see AI returns despite $97b spend by 2027

Data fragmentation and governance uncertainty plague most AI adoptions.

In Focus

APAC neobanking hits $261b in 2025 as mobile use rises

China and India account for 70% of regional market share.

In Focus

Payroll drives rural Indonesia banking uptake as digital banks fail to sway users

Digital banks are known but users said there is no difference in app experience.

In Focus

Korean regulators hit 5 banks with record $1.38b in ELS penalties

Kookmin Bank will face the highest penalty if based on sales amount, the report said.

In Focus