As the months roll on, the full effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have become clearer across the globe. Without a doubt, among the hardest hit regions has been Latin America. But despite the difficult health situation, banking systems have, so far, responded well to the socio-economic impacts of the crisis.
If you are based in Singapore, you might have seen a dog-like robot patrolling some of the city-state’s parks earlier this year. Called Spot, the four-legged robot created by US-based Boston Dynamics is equipped with cameras and sensors to detect the concentration of group sizes gathering in parks while also reinforcing social-distancing rules
The proliferation of digital currencies over the last few years has led to a rapidly growing list of use cases for tokenised assets. Thanks in no small part to the development of blockchain technology, as well as the recognition and anticipation of what cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin, now a decade old, was the first cryptocurrency to gain serious investor interest and has held its position as market leader. Although the volatile digital currency has experienced roller-coaster rides since its inception, it is popular for its attributes, such as decentralized, secure, peer-to-peer trading. And its acceptance as legal tender continues to grow. What considerations should investors keep in mind when weighing bitcoin as a possible investment asset?
Thailand’s sluggish economic growth has raised alarm bells recently, but its banking sector continues to push forward. Krungsri, one of the country’s top five banks, is guided by its mission to responsibly meet the needs of its customers and serve society through sustainable growth. In our interview, Mr. Pornsanong Tuchinda, head of commercial banking, discusses how by combining customer centricity with digital technology, the bank is achieving its goals.
There are times when no one wants to see history repeat itself, and that’s the case among today’s investors in technology stocks. Some fear that the dot-com bubble burst of 2000 may repeat itself 20 years later. Although some tech stocks may be overvalued, the flourishing Fourth Industrial Revolution displays no signs of running out of steam any time soon. Caution is advised but not panic.
There are enough new terms floating around banking to make one’s head spin, and along comes greenfield bank. This refers to the growing trend among incumbent banks to create standalone digital banks that are as agile and innovative as the fintechs and neobanks. After considering how difficult and expensive it is proving to be for banks to break out of their legacy-infrastructure moulds, this approach makes a lot of sense.
A persistent problem in Africa is the financial-inclusion deficit. With 11 million citizens in South Africa alone being either underbanked or unbanked, the need to gather them into the banking fold is urgent. Recognizing this imperative, innovative teams such as Nedbank’s Retail and Business Banking have prioritised customer-centric digital avenues to reach more customers, entrenching themselves as the money experts who do good and give clients back the gift of time.
In spite of the recent rise of protectionism amongst major trade partners, international trade growth is strong, with emerging markets providing the main impetus. Trade growth could be even stronger if not for the shortfall in trade financing supply relative to demand, a gap that is partly due to regulation compliance. Technology is coming to the rescue, not only in addressing the trade finance gap but ameliorating operations throughout trade channels.
The last 18 months or so have seen initial coin offerings (ICOs) play a hugely disruptive role in the world of start-up financing. Companies the world over have managed to raise hundreds of millions of dollars—if not billions—to fund their blockchain-based development plans