Category: Business

The world of business is undergoing a radical transformation as more and more leaders embrace the power of purpose, collaboration, ethics and empathy. These are some of the key trends that are shaping the future of commerce in 2023 and beyond, according to experts and practitioners in the field. Purpose-Driven Profitability One of the most prominent shifts in the business landscape is the rise of purpose-driven profitability, which means aligning…

The Australian Banking Association (ABA) has released a report that shows banks have increased their lending to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by 28% in the last financial year. The report, titled Banking By Numbers, reveals that banks issued 302,945 new loans worth $200 billion to SMEs in 2023, bringing the total amount of credit to SMEs to $588 billion. Banks support SMEs amid rising costs and challenges The ABA…

Bahrain’s banking sector has witnessed a remarkable surge in customer deposits in the second quarter of 2023, reaching $86 billion, the highest in the GCC region. This was despite the challenges posed by the rising interest rates in the global markets, which have affected the lending and bond markets. Bahrain leads GCC in deposit growth According to a report by Kamco Invest, a Kuwait-based investment company, Bahrain-listed banks reported a…

The statement of financial position, also known as the balance sheet, is one of the most important financial statements for banks and other financial institutions. It shows the value of their assets, liabilities, and equity at a given point in time. It also reflects their risk profile, profitability, and liquidity. Assets: What Banks Own Assets are the resources that banks own or control, such as cash, loans, securities, and property.…

What happened? OCBC Bank, one of the largest banks in Singapore, faced a network outage on Monday morning (Aug 28) that affected all of its banking services, including mobile and online banking, PayNow, ATMs, Velocity and cards. The bank said in a Facebook post that it was experiencing “technical problems with our systems” and that customers could visit its branches for urgent transactions. The outage started at around 8.30am and…

Country Garden’s subsidiary in Malaysia has adequate funds to service loans The Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the country’s central bank, said on Monday that the domestic banks had limited exposure to China’s largest property developer, Country Garden, and faced low financial stability risk from it. The BNM was responding to queries from Reuters after Country Garden missed two dollar coupon payments this month, sparking concerns over its financial health. According…

Singapore’s second-largest bank, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC), announced on Monday that it had restored all its banking services after experiencing a technical problem that affected various channels. The bank assured its customers that their money and data were safe and secure throughout the disruption. What happened? According to the bank, the technical issue started at 8.33 a.m. on Monday and impacted its consumer and business banking customers. The affected channels…

Inside Retail Asia is a website that provides news, analysis and trends on the retail industry across the Asia-Pacific region. The website is published by Octomedia, one of Australia’s leading B2B publishers, with a portfolio that spans retail, e-commerce, small business, fast moving consumer goods and franchising. What does Inside Retail Asia offer? Inside Retail Asia covers a wide range of topics related to retail, such as: Marketplaces: The website…

Fintech, or financial technology, is a rapidly evolving sector that is transforming the way businesses and customers interact with financial services. From payments and lending to insurance and wealth management, fintech is redefining the customer experience (CX) with innovative solutions that are faster, cheaper, and more convenient. However, to deliver these solutions, fintech companies need to leverage advanced technologies that can streamline their operations, enhance their security, and provide insights…

Medef chief sees signs of slowdown in France’s economy Patrick Martin, the head of France’s Medef business lobby group, said on Monday that there were signs of a slowdown in business activity in France and interest rates were also weighing on businesses. He told France 2 TV that France’s economic growth was resilient in the second quarter, but he added that there were nevertheless indications of slower activity. “But we…