Jacks of all trades, masters of none?

[SINGAPORE] Large global banks trying to be all things to all people are under pressure in the post-financial crisis period. As cost pressures rise, they have been prompted to recalibrate their Asian operations.

But they still insist on the merits of the universal banking model in Asia, as they seek deep access to the region's growing wealth.

"With higher capital buffers, running a universal bank is becoming a lot harder," David Sayer, KPMG's global head of banking, told BT in an interview.