The remittances market is too big to ignore, but with more providers entering the market and with banks struggling to respond to new regulations, how can banks stay relevant?

Mobile money, including banking and payments, is encroaching into the everyday life of the consumer. Monetising the business is still proving difficult, but thanks to the abundance of products available already, tangible business models are slowly emerging.

In Turkey, banks have stopped talking about alternative delivery channels. They consider all channels – including branches, ATMs and mobile – a core business, and this rise in digital banking is spurring competition and, as a result, innovation.

Personalised and location-based marketing tactics could be a catalyst for higher usage of mobile payments and could, in turn, unlock new business approaches. 

Taiwan's rising prominence as an offshore renminbi centre reached a milestone earlier this year when the Bank of China opened a clearing bank in Taipei. But with Hong Kong, and to a lesser extent London and Singapore, already working as offshore renminbi hubs, where will Taiwan fit in?

A new prime minister and Bank of Japan governor, both apparently working in concert, could signal sustained weakness for the yen. But there are some tough psychological barriers to breach.

The foreign exchange markets have been tough of late, amid relentlessly declining volatility and persistently low returns. However, a shift in the economic landscape may give managers a chance to shine in the coming year and take advantage of new relationships with the banking community.