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Chinese investors in massive retreat from loans
	LENDING & CREDIT \| 2 hours 25 min ago China’s Big Four banks have less and less to cheer about as the year stumbles on. Read ››

Perilous situation: More bad loans face Chinese banks
	RETAIL BANKING \| 22 Feb 12 The souring Chinese economy continues to dent the bottom line of Chinese banks. Read ››

Graph of the Week: Higher credit costs to hit Hong Kong in 2012
	RETAIL BANKING \| 21 Feb 12 Blame it on lower global economic activity, weakening domestic property markets, and higher inflation. Read ››

OCBC reports rosy results
	RETAIL BANKING \| 21 Feb 12 The Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd, Singapore’s largest local bank by market capitalisation, has reported encouraging operating results for 2011. Read ››

Indian banks join M&A hunt in Europe
	INVESTMENT BANKING \| 20 Feb 12 Japan isn’t the only country looking to strike M&A fortunes in Europe. Read ››

CIMB's keeps focus on Asean amid RBS acquisition plan
	RETAIL BANKING \| 19 Feb 12 CIMB Group’s Asian expansion plan will not be significantly impacted by its purported acquisition of Asian assets of the RBS. Read ››

Outlook rosy for South Korea's financial groups: analysts
	WHOLESALE BANKING \| 18 Feb 12 Analysts forecast that South Korean financial services groups will post robust earnings this year. Read ››

IBK's earnings dip 73 % to $33M in Q4
	RETAIL BANKING \| 18 Feb 12 Increase in loan-loss provisions caused IBK's fourth-quarter earnings to go down by 73 percent from one year ago. Read ››

Korea Eximbank forms consultative body with 5 Chinese banks
	WHOLESALE BANKING \| 18 Feb 12 Korea Eximbank will form a consultative group with five Chinese banks to help Korean firms win large overseas projects. Read ››

Bank of Tokyo explores Cambodian market
	WHOLESALE BANKING \| 18 Feb 12 The Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ will penetrate deeper into the Cambodian market with the launching of its representative office. Read ››

HK's credit card receivables up 10.9% in 4Q
	CARDS & PAYMENTS \| 18 Feb 12 Hong Kong's total credit card receivables went up 10.9 percent to US$13 million in the fourth quarter of 2011 from a year earlier. Read ››

Australia’s Westpac begins to bleed
	INVESTMENT BANKING \| 17 Feb 12 One of Australia’s most stable banks is cut by the banking crisis. Read ››

Pakistani banks failing to mobilise deposits
	LENDING & CREDIT \| 16 Feb 12 While Pakistani banks are earning profits, they failed to mobilise deposits which fell between June and November 2011 and in January 2012. Read ››

Indonesian bank to open Saudi branch
	BRANCH BANKING \| 16 Feb 12 Bank Negara Indonesia will open a branch in Saudi Arabia this year. Read ››

HSBC to increase Mainland branches by over sevenfold
	BRANCH BANKING \| 16 Feb 12 Mainland Chinese will soon be seeing much more of HSBC. Read ››

Danamon`s profit up 16% in 2011
	RETAIL BANKING \| 15 Feb 12 Bank Danamon increased its consolidated profit by 16% to Rp3.34 trillion in 2011from Rp2.88 trillion in 2010. Read ››

SMFG leads Japan’s second wave of global M&As
	INVESTMENT BANKING \| 15 Feb 12 The strong yen, a bane for Japanese exporters, is proving a gold mine for Japanese banks intent on mergers and acquisitions aboard, especially in Europe. Read ››

ICBC Beijing posts over 60% growth in small business loans in 2011
	LENDING & CREDIT \| 14 Feb 12 ICBC Beijing branch's total outstanding small business loans grew more than 60% to nearly RMB 15 billion by end-2011. Read ››

AMMB enjoys 19th month of consecutive profit growth
	RETAIL BANKING \| 14 Feb 12 AMMB's 9-month pre-tax profit until Dec 31, 2011 surged to RM1.598 billion from RM1.439 billion it posted for the same period last year. Read ››

Graph of the Week: AsiaPac banks’ exposure to the EU crisis
	RETAIL BANKING \| 14 Feb 12 Singapore and Hong Kong will be the hardest hit should euro area banks retreat. Read ››

Bank of Taiwan to open Shanghai branch
	BRANCH BANKING \| 14 Feb 12 It’s another advance for cross-strait banking. The Bank of Taiwan will open its first branch on the Mainland in Shanghai this March or April. Read ››

Malaysian intitutions alerted against US FATCA
	LENDING & CREDIT \| 13 Feb 12 Malaysian financial institutions were asked to make an impact assessment on the proposed FATCA regulations. Read ››

HSBC opens 58th Malaysian branch--the first in Sabah-Sarawak
	BRANCH BANKING \| 13 Feb 12 HSBC opened its first branch in the Sabah-Sarawak area at Inanam, expanding the total Malaysian branch network to 58 location. Read ››

Vietnam to receive more U.S. Ex-Im Bank investments
	INVESTMENT BANKING \| 13 Feb 12 Vietnam has been selected by the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) as one of nine key emerging markets that will boost American exports and support job creation. Read ››

Indonesia to standardize commercial bank interest rates
	LENDING & CREDIT \| 12 Feb 12 Unable to lower commercial bank interest rates, Indonesia's central bank decided to nominate the rates beginning the close of the first quarter. Read ››

Singapore banks want exemption from US FATCA rules
	RETAIL BANKING \| 11 Feb 12 Banks in Singapore are lobbying against the US' Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act or Fatca. Read ››

Big NZ banks experience soaring profits
	RETAIL BANKING \| 11 Feb 12 Earnings of ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Westpac and Kiwibank for the last six months of 2011 rose by 25 percent to $2.8 billion. Read ››

HSBC elated with progress in Malaysia
	RETAIL BANKING \| 10 Feb 12 HSBC is pleased with the progress of its Malaysian operations, which has been growing in the last two years. Read ››

Malaysia's Bank Islam still enamored with Indonesian market
	RETAIL BANKING \| 10 Feb 12 Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd still has its eyes set on expanding in Indonesia. Read ››

Japan bank lending up for 4th straight month
	LENDING & CREDIT \| 10 Feb 12 Aided by steady demand for business funds in areas hit by the massive March earthquake, Japanese bank lending grew 0.7 percent in January from a year earlier to 396.73 trillion yen This is its fourth straight monthly increase. Read ››

The Asian Banking and Finance Wholesale Banking Awards 2012 now open for nominations
	WHOLESALE BANKING \| 10 Feb 12 Name your best banking and finance institutions in the inaugural Asian Banking and Finance Wholesale Banking Awards 2012. Read ››

DBS full-year profit up 15%
	\| 10 Feb 12 DBS Group Holdings reported net profit of S$3.04b for 2011. Read ››

Singapore banks slam Volcker Rule; demand exemptions
	WHOLESALE BANKING \| 09 Feb 12 One banker’s feast is another’s poison pill it seems. The controversial “Volcker Rule” intended to curb rapacious proprietary trading excesses by U.S. Read ››

Loans from China's Big 4 hit $50.8M in January
	LENDING & CREDIT \| 09 Feb 12 China's "Big 4" banks extended about US$50.8 million of new loans in January, reports China Securities Journal. Read ››

China bends over backwards for its banking industry
	RETAIL BANKING \| 08 Feb 12 Regulators are inclined to give Chinese banks more time to meet tougher capital rules requirements. Read ››

Western credit cards finally invade China
	RETAIL BANKING \| 08 Feb 12 Citigroup, Inc. has become the first western bank and the second foreign bank permitted to issue its own credit card brand in China. Read ››

CIMB's non-interest income to surpass expectations: HwangDBS Vickers
	RETAIL BANKING \| 08 Feb 12 A research group forecasts CIMB Group's non-interest income for financial year 2012 to be better-than-expected. Read ››

India continues disincentives to branch banking
	BRANCH BANKING \| 08 Feb 12 A leading Singapore bank raises the issue that some Indian taxes restrict the growth of branch banking in India. Read ››

VietinBank penetrates Lao market
	BRANCH BANKING \| 07 Feb 12 VietinBank offically opened a branch in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Read ››

ATM makers hope to squeeze cash out of system
	BANKING TECHNOLOGY \| 07 Feb 12 New software even plans out more efficient truck delivery routes. Read ››

PRINT EDITION HIGHLIGHTS

SG banks step in where US banks fear to tread

Why retail lending origination excellence is important in Asia

Lend me that money!

Hiring hotspots in Asia

Will cash survive beyond the 21st century?

Cashless Society? Oops, not anytime soon!

How regulation can boost Asia’s role in the international financial scene

Now, more than ever, there is a greater call for Asia to step up and play a bigger role in international financial institutions and along with this greater role will come the challenges of regulation.