Asiamoney Best Bank Awards

For international banks operating in Vietnam, corporate and investment banking is one of the biggest focus areas, given that the consumer banking industry is dominated by local names. Credit Suisse leads the way among its international rivals, showing the strength of its franchise.

Bank of Ayudhya-Krungsri has a reputation as a leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Thailand. To see why, look no further than its programme to address one of the country’s most glaring problems: burgeoning household debt.

State-owned Krungthai Bank, Thailand’s third-largest bank by assets, has long been regarded as rather old and crusty, and was all too often eclipsed by nimbler players who set the pace in the fast-changing digital banking landscape.

Of all the sectors to have been crushed by the pandemic, SMEs have probably felt the most pain.

HSBC takes the best international bank award in Thailand thanks not only to its roster of clients and strong performance over the past year, but also the way it is positioning itself for further growth in the southeast Asian country.

Who would guess that there was a global health crisis going on from looking at the results of Thailand’s leading corporate and investment banks?

As the first woman to head up Kasikornbank since it was founded in 1945 – and the first from outside the ranks of the Lamsam family – Kattiya Indaravijaya has already secured a place in the bank’s history.

For a case study of a bank in Singapore that is able to adapt rapidly to changing customer behaviour, one only need look at OCBC Bank, which once again wins Asiamoney’s award for best bank for SMEs.

Singapore’s DBS Bank had to navigate two severe headwinds in the past 18 months: the myriad disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the difficulty of operating in a near-zero interest rate environment.