Asiamoney Best Bank Awards

Credit Suisse, which has operated in Pakistan since the 1990s, has an enviable relationship with the Ministry of Finance, having arranged the government’s first loan in 2013.

National Bank of Pakistan is regarded by some rivals as one to start watching closely when it comes to its corporate and investment banking franchise, thanks to efforts to transform it from a staid, balance sheet-led state-owned bank to a modern and more independent firm.

Habib Bank’s rapid growth, despite the disruption of Covid-19, is nothing short of remarkable. Total income in 2020 jumped 28% to $1 billion, while profits before tax soared 83% to $331.8 million. Net assets rose about 18% to $1.7 billion.

When Alberto Tamura became the CEO of Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities in April 2019, he made the obligatory “we’re optimistic about Japan” comment that all new chiefs make. In 2020, though, he proved not just why he’s bullish, but how the banking giant aims to navigate the world’s third-largest economy.

Japan’s SME sector faces particular difficulties as Covid-19 disruptions collide with an unfamiliar variety of market turmoil.

The old adage that one should never let a good crisis go to waste sure didn’t elude Hiroyuki Nagai’s staff during these last 12 months of coronavirus chaos.

Morgan Stanley did an impressive job navigating the financial storm in 2020. That was abundantly clear in September when it officially cemented its spot as the most profitable foreign securities firm in Japan in the fiscal year ending in March. A bevy of deals in which Morgan Stanley participated and trading in hedge funds helped to fend off a challenge by JPMorgan Chase.

It’s oddly fitting that MUFG Bank would pick a former high school rowing star for its new CEO. Those skills will come in handy considering the rough seas Japan’s financial system will have to navigate in 2021.

Mongolia is an unusual country in many ways. It is vast with poor infrastructure. It has a tiny population, but its cities, particularly the capital, suffer from appalling air pollution. People with disabilities suffer most.