In Focus
Credit cards command 58% of Japan's e-commerce value
Credit cards command 58% of Japan's e-commerce value
Worldpay data ranks the market as the global leader for direct card usage.
Hong Kong banks urged to deepen family office offer as new wealth surges
Nearly half of family offices set up in the last 5 years are new.
Trade easing and AI demand lift Hong Kong banks' H2 outlook
Banks should monitor real estate exposure as property softness persists.
APAC banks hit by 92% of network attacks as fintech risk grows
Real-time payments and mobile services have expanded the number of exposed endpoints.
How could China's investment curbs shift wealth between Singapore and Hong Kong?
Rules taking effect on 1 July allow reviews of deals tied to national security.
Malaysian banks likely to hike dividends despite rising bad loan threat
They have adequate earnings and capital buffers to withstand NPL shocks.
Why South Korea cards squeeze cash payments
GlobalData says bank access and merchant acceptance are keeping electronic transactions ahead.
Why AI tools won't deliver value to banks without culture change
Two CEOs told McKinsey they spent heavily on AI tools that saw low usage.
APAC travellers rank payment security as top concern, Visa says
Card acceptance followed at 27% as more travellers brought cards and mobile wallets.
Stablecoins move into payment infrastructure
Visa says trust remains key to adoption.
Gold loan rules to hit Sri Lanka’s finance firms harder than banks
New rules order both to adopt similar risk weightings.
Financial services insider costs hit $23.1m as shadow AI spreads
The sector ranked third amongst industries and exceeded the $19.5m global average.
Chinese banks mask capital weakness with government injections
One-off government support does not address banks’ lower profitability and asset quality issues.
New China rules no threat to Singapore banks' wealth businesses: Maybank
Singapore banks do not serve the investor segment most affected by the changes.
How bigger deals pushed financial services acquisitions to $499b
Global transactions reached 612 in 2025 compared with 605 in 2024.
Singapore banks face currency split as ringgit offsets losses
DBS is most exposed to IDR and INR, whilst the ringgit cushions OCBC and UOB.
Philippine account ownership sinks as microfinance access weakens
E-money wallets stayed at 36% whilst bank access held at 23%.
Commentary
Asia is leading payments modernisation and banks can't afford to fall behind
Investing in an inefficient market
Platinum cards, paper-thin compliance?
Energy price volatility highlights structural gaps for managing FX risk in APAC
Asia’s electronic markets reach an inflection point of transformation
Tokenisation in the Philippines: The consumer is ready, but is the infrastructure?
Asian firms need to get ready for digital assets and currencies
AI can build your plan, but can it hold you to it?