Opinion

Celebrating 30 years of Asiamoney.

The region is near perfect for such an accolade, so why the digital dawdling?

China's banking sector faces a tough year, but 2019 might also offer great opportunities for foreign banks.

Since May, when the country had its 'Berlin Wall moment' – putting an end to its virtual one-party state – economic and political signs have been positive… but inevitably there are looming flashpoints.

China’s financial regulators have undergone dramatic changes since president Xi Jinping took power five years ago.

“As close as lips and teeth”

A novel green loan for Singapore-listed Wilmar has highlighted the dearth of such ESG-based borrowings in Asia, but now that the agribusiness company has provided a template, the onus is on banks and borrowers to push for change in the region.

In May 1989, the Sydney news magazine ‘The Bulletin’ published a cover story of characteristic Australian bluntness: ‘Why the banks are bastards.’

The opening up of the Chinese financial sector to majority foreign ownership is an important and strategic move, but the guidelines curtailing banking sector liberalization make it look like one step forward, two steps back.