China’s banking sector is proving hard to navigate in 2017. The economy is slowing, net interest margins have dropped and banking regulators are cracking down on financial malpractice. Stefania Palma assesses how the country's banks are faring in this challenging environment.
Chinese regulators have tightened their grip on the banking sector in an effort to control financial risk, the country’s ballooning shadow banking sector and excessive debt load. Which banks stand a better chance of meeting these tougher requirements? Stefania Palma reports.
The central bank’s negative interest rate regime has hit Japan’s banking sector hard. But three local mega-institutions have shown resilience, both at home – partly through fintech investments – and abroad – by aggressive international expansion. Stefania Palma reports.
The fourth most populous country in the world spread across more than 6000 islands, banks have struggled to reach out beyond Indonesia's big cities up to now. However, a digital transformation is gripping the country, bringing with it the promise of huge increase in financial inclusion. Stefania Palma reports.
While Islamic finance is popular within Malaysia, concerns have been voiced about the country's sluggish growth as an international centre. To combat this, regulators in the country are pinning their hopes on sharia-compliant fund and wealth management. Stefania Palma reports.
As finance minister of Indonesia, one of Sri Mulyani Indrawati’s priorities is to boost government revenue by tackling low tax receipts. These are caused by an overly complicated system – but modifying regulation will be a slow process. Meanwhile, she has major industries that are paying relatively low levels of tax in her sights, as Stefania Palma reports.