In Focus

Malaysian banks to see stable profit despite margin and deposit pressures

The banks' established deposit franchises should mitigate competition pressure.

Why new trade routes will benefit Islamic finance

Islamic finance can help financial institutions strengthen their trade, treasury, payments, and settlement flows.

Stablecoins fail to crack 1% of non-wholesale cross-border payments

Consumer-to-business activity represented 22% of digital-token volume.

Islamic finance reaches $6t as capital deployment stays uneven

Trade corridors link Gulf liquidity with fast-growing economies.

Up to $47b in revenue up for grabs for APAC wealth and asset managers

AWM companies in the region manage only 22% of assets versus Europe’s 40% and North America’s 60%.

Digital currencies lead Asia payment coverage at 26%

Quick response code and wallet connectivity ranked second with a 24% share.

Indian private banks bet on retail loans and foreign deposits

Lenders want to increase their share of high-yielding and predominantly retail loans, said S&P.

Singapore banks offload risk to private credit

Banks will continue to anchor relationship-based senior lending, KPMG said.

Investment banks see bond deals slow as issuance falls 3.8%

Regional issuers still secured $2.5t through primary offerings excluding Japan.

Hong Kong’s financial sector set to lead APAC tokenisation: KPMG

The city is attracting mainland asset holders looking to tokenise their holdings.

Indonesia’s liquidity release may boost bonds instead of loans

Banks are increasingly allocating funds towards short-term government bonds and securities.

Digital wallets overtake cards in Singapore payments

Wallets captured 40% of online transaction value and 36% of in-store spending in 2025.

Taiwan private banks buoyed by mergers and semiconductor demand

Some lenders’ mergers are expected to expand the franchise and improve profitability.

Stablecoins set to go invisible amidst gig and B2B payments shift: Visa

It can reduce complexity in cross-border B2B payments and make payouts near-instant.

Indonesia QR payment searches surge 475%

It showed the fastest growth amongst six Southeast Asian markets.

Can AI replace wealth advisers?

Affluent investors still seek human judgement for major financial decisions.