Six major consortiums, led by industry giants from tech, retail, and finance, are competing to secure Thailand's first digital bank licences. As the country prepares for a significant shift in its financial landscape, the stakes have never been higher.

Philippine digital banks saw rapid growth in 2023 alongside mounting concerns over credit quality as gross NPL ratios soared

The rapid digitalisation of MSMEs, emergence of new digital-native business models and niche segments have become a key focus area for financial technology companies to serve.

The Singapore banking industry has persevered through challenges in 2019 such as global growth coming under pressure due to geopolitical and trade tensions, but the COVID-19 outbreak will be a greater test to the country’s financial sector stability.

Outlook for the banking industry in Asia Pacific turns negative as the region confronts weaker economic and trade conditions as well as the erosion of investor confidence

Africa’s payments services are rapidly growing, driven by concerted efforts between mobile money operators, banks and fintech as well as regulatory drives to implement real time payment systems, while rise in mobile money accounts and fintech threatens to make traditional bank account services irrelevant.

China is changing the distribution of wealth across the region and rapidly developing its wealth management industry which is dominated by mega banks and trust companies

Vietnam is likely to emerge as a significant consumer-driven market, placing it in the Asian consuming class of Indonesia and the Philippines with a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita between $2,800-$3,500 by 2020, in which mass automobile ownership takes off.

As the role of corporate treasury evolves beyond its traditional core functions of cash and liquidity management, banks are making substantial investments into new technologies to simplify corporate to multi-bank connectivity.

Big four banks to tidy up various messes coming from renewed pressure from regulators

Better returns in the alternative finance sector and an increase in transparency attracts more non-institutional investments particularly in online platform lending

Within Asia, China has been the undisputed leader in terms of total fintech investments raised. In other parts of the region, fintechs in South East Asia witnessed a 143% growth in funding that reached $484 million in 2018