Trade Finance

The German lender’s decision to put its chips on southeast Asia is paying off handsomely. Under the leadership of Asia CEO Alexander von zur Mühlen, Deutsche Bank has doubled its capital in Vietnam and Indonesia, with more to come, moved a host of global roles to the region, and has seen Asean eclipse its India and China business in terms of growth and absolute numbers.

The commodities firm still needs large banking groups and a range of options when it comes to supporting its operations.

While foreign investment in China has fallen, supply-chain shift is a different story. Rather than transferring their main production away from China, manufacturers are cultivating deep regional supply chains across Asia and beyond.

Beneath the Great Game geopolitics of US-Vietnam relations, there are some intriguing possibilities in the detail.

For decades, transaction banking was a profitable but largely ignored corner of the banking industry. Then Covid happened. Today, bank chiefs see it as critical to everything they do. Given the challenges ahead – collaborating with fintechs and embedding ESG principles in global supply chains – the revolution under way in this business is unstoppable.

This year, Euromoney's survey better highlights the ability of Asian banks to meet their clients’ needs.

After much talk and little action, the use of blockchain in trade finance is picking up, and Asia-Pacific is at the heart of that change – but despite progress, the many different consortia need to agree on some common ground to get things moving.