Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ's purchase of Thailand-based Bank of Ayudhya last year was indicative of the wealth of opportunities opening up in the south-east Asian economy.

Frustrated with the limitations of traditional credit scoring methods, innovative start-ups are finding new ways to analyse borrower risks using social media and other online data.

The complicated geographical and political make-up of Bosnia-Herzegovina, combined with its struggling economy and low purchasing power, makes life difficult for its overcrowded banking market. However, hope is on the horizon as economic growth picks up and looming elections bring promise of a more investor-friendly financial system.

With a global aggregate income of $12,500bn, and spending power beyond that, women represent one of the world’s largest banking markets. Yet most banks still seem unwilling or unable to service the unique needs of their female customers.

Computers have reached such a level of sophistication that they can now outperform their human counterparts at some tasks, a fact that has not gone unnoticed in the banking community. But, while smart machines are increasingly being utilised in customer service and data analysis capacities, advocates of these new technologies maintain that they are designed to complement rather than replace the traditional workforce.

The macroeconomic climate is taking its toll on Turkey's banks, with many predicting a difficult year for the industry. Growth avenues still remain, however, in the commercial loans and small and medium-sized enterprise sectors, not to mention the huge potential of tapping the country's large unbanked population.

After years of rationalisation and restructuring following the Asian financial crisis in the 1990s, Japan's largest banks – Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mizuho and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group – are much healthier than their Western and Chinese counterparts, but they are still struggling to increase profitability.