Commentary

What you need to know about the use of yuan for trade finance

The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) announced its intention to widen the official ±1% trading band on 19 February. Since then, it steadily fixed the official USD/CNY parity rate higher to 6.1475 on 21 March, a level not seen since early November.

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What you need to know about the use of yuan for trade finance

Commentary

Rising standards in the funds industry

There is a current trend in offshore fund and deal structuring towards more compliance and corporate governance. This is evident across two strong investment themes in which our clients are involved.

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When satisfactory is no longer enough for your risk, compliance, and audit function

At a conference in November 2012, Thomas J. Curry, Head of US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) said: “We are no longer willing to accept audit and risk management functions that are simply satisfactory. We are looking for excellence. Our expectation now is that large institutions will meet the standard of ‘strong’ for audit and risk management functions, and that the independent directors will take a strong hand in ensuring compliance.”

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What threat legacy systems pose to financial institutions

In Singapore, the investment management industry and related financial institutions often face the issue of legacy IT systems built in the 1980s or 90s.

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Here's how the global financial investment scenario looks like in 2014

Market experts are saying that the global economy is doing comparatively better than the past few years. It is following the trends of the previous year where there were cautious signs of growth and free liquidity along with the development of financial market.

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Here's how FX trading has evolved

Wild currency swings can wreak havoc on your vacation. More than that, fluctuating currency rates can have profound impacts on the products you buy at home or abroad.

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What Singapore banks need to know to implement MAS Notice 643

The Monetary Authority of Singapore issued Notice 643 “Transactions with Related Parties” on 2 April 2013 which sets out the MAS requirements related to transactions between banks in Singapore and their Related Parties.

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Why Asia-Pac banks smile in the face of Basel III Liquidity Ratios

Bankers everywhere are very familiar, and in one or two cases possibly slightly apprehensive, about the new liquidity and funding requirements that are the new Basel III regime. The acronyms themselves encompass some relatively straightforward arithmetic.

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Trends in the investment management industry for 2014

In 2013, the finance industry in Asia continued to drive global economic growth, with key markets China and India leading the charge. Moving forward into 2014, Asia Pacific is expected to continue growing as a financial hub with more investment opportunities.

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Trade finance trends and risks in Singapore you should know about

The Financial Stability Review (FSR)(1) report provides financial institutions a good understanding of the global macro economy and its effect on Singapore-based banks. In particular, the MAS highlights “the banking sector needs to guard against credit quality deterioration and liquidity risks”.

Commentary

Why the clock is ticking for trade finance talents

Australia’s success as a trading nation is vitally dependent on the expertise of trade financiers and the quality of their products and services. But within the trade finance discipline is a “doomsday clock” which threatens to count down all the way to midnight.

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What you should know about ADB and supply chain finance

Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced recently that it has partnered with Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) on supply chain finance program (SCFP) in the amount of USD 800m to support Asian SMEs facing payment pressure from the big domestic buyers. It is a good news but the structure is not innovative at all.

Commentary

What you need to know about International Bank Account Numbers

Asian Banking and Finance fraternity has come a long way in Banking Journey but many more milestones are yet to be achieved. One such milestone which is now in the process of being adopted across the Asian banks is that of IBAN (International Bank Account Numbers).

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Are mobiles in retail banking chaos or best practice?

The markets of the Asia Pacific region have been amongst the leaders in the adoption of the mobile phone. Andpropelled by the advent of the smartphone and ‘app’, the mobile handset has assumed a major role in the lifestyle of all segments of society.

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Here are the biggest IT challenges in financial services industry

In the financial services industry, market opportunities grow faster than IT budgets. Beyond financial institutions, other industries are also faced with the same challenges brought about by technology trends such as big data and social media.

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What you need to know about business foreign exchange

Banks across Asia are gearing up to fight for regional dominance of one of the most important and quickly growing products - Business Foreign Exchange. Spot FX, Forward FX and FX Options are the most ‘banked away’ products by customers seeking value for money and personalised customer service.

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The real special thing about banks

Every once in a while it’s worth reminding ourselves what banks are here for. Worth it because since the crash there has been so much nonsense written by every type of commentator on just this subject.

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