Latest articles from Retail Banking

Banco Galicia teaser

Argentina returns to retail banking’s long game

March 1, 2018

Following a well-publicised period of recession and turbulence, Argentina’s banking industry has seen optimism return. But consolidation and lower inflation bring their own problems, as Silvia Pavoni reports.

VP Bank teaser

Will retail banking shake up Vietnam's established players?

January 2, 2018

Vietnam’s banks are pushing into retail, buoyed by a young and growing population. How will competition between new, tech-savvy private lenders and the big four public sector banks play out? Peter Janssen reports.

New age of Santander teaser

The new age of Santander

November 1, 2017

Spain's Santander is moving into a new era as it targets larger earnings, improved customer loyalty and stronger governance. Silvia Pavoni looks at how the 160-year-old institution is planning to progress from a position of strength.

Postbank teaser

Tradition meets tech – Russia’s Post Bank model

September 1, 2017

Post Bank is going against the grain with plans to hold a total of 18,000 branches across Russia within two years. The lender is using legacy outlets from its Leto Bank and Russian Post origins to increase its reach, with a low-cost model that mixes ATMs and mobile transactions. Stefanie Linhardt reports.

ABA teaser

Western banks take retail route into emerging Asia

July 3, 2017

Developed market banks tend not to favour retail as a way to move into emerging markets. But, as several have found, catering for smaller businesses and individuals is a good way to establish a foothold before expanding into Asia’s developing regions. Peter Janssen reports.

ICBC teaser

Cautious Chinese banks navigate uncertain market

July 3, 2017

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.

QNB teaser

Home or away? Qatari banks look to build on their success

June 1, 2017

Low oil prices have dented Qatar's economic success story of late but its banks are thriving. Some are looking to domestic consolidation for the next phase of  growth, others to foreign acquisitions, while a deal that will create the region’s biggest Islamic bank is in the pipeline. Kit Gillet reports. 

Blom Bank teaser

Lebanon's banks advance with caution despite impressive results

June 1, 2017

The environment in which Lebanon's banks have been operating has been challenging, meaning that despite their steady growth a backdrop of uncertainty is influencing policy. And they are also having to contend with a public backlash regarding profits from a central bank swap offer, writes Edward Russell-Walling.

Bank of Cyprus teaser

Cyprus banks' reversal of fortune

May 2, 2017

Though Cyprus's banking sector is in a much healthier state than it was during the crisis years of 2012 and 2013, high NPL ratios and the country's negative interest rate environment are casting a shadow over its recovery, as Michael Imeson reports.

Millennium BCP teaser

Portugal’s banks rise from the ashes

April 3, 2017

Once one of the standard bearers for the travails of the eurozone, Portugal appears to be in the early stages of a recovery, one in which its revitalised banks are playing a leading role – albeit heavily backed by foreign investment. Peter Wise reports.

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