Banks

Wall Street banks are paying their CEOs like it’s 2006 again

The payouts reflect a banner year for the industry, with the nation’s top financial firms posting their biggest annual earnings since 2021

Hong Kong is in the midst of an IPO boom, with first-time share sales coming off a four-year high in 2025 and already off to the busiest-ever start of a year.

Hong Kong grapples with banker shortage to keep up with IPO boom

Banks are hard pressed to meet regulatory guidelines and are under increased scrutiny over the quality of IPO paperwork

The centre will support UBS’s global platform across technology, finance and shared services, with an emphasis on expanding capabilities in areas such as AI.

UBS joins foreign banks expanding India global capability hubs

The Swiss bank plans to add “2,000 professionals in the coming months” at the new facility

Singapore's strengths are in its role as a trusted hub for finance, digital trade and resilience, among others.

Budget 2026: Scaling Singapore businesses’ global footprint amid rising risks

Navigating a more fractured trade environment requires a closer partnership between policy, capital and corporate enterprise

Market leader DBS can benefit from investors allocating more capital to Singapore stocks.
SENSE & CENTS

‘Pricey’ DBS can still be worth buying 

Strong growth drivers support the local bourse’s leader 

CBA’s business lending division has been growing faster than the industry in this area as the lender seeks to win market share from rivals.

Commonwealth Bank profit tops estimates on business loans

Shares of the country’s largest lender are down more than 15% from a record high in June

UniCredit expects its net revenue to grow at an annual rate of 5 per cent, pushing its profit to about 11 billion euros in 2026.

UniCredit to return 50 billion euros to investors over five years

It will pay out 80% of its profit in a mix of cash dividends and share buybacks as ordinary distribution

Rising inflows from new mainland Chinese migrants and visitors are supporting interest in higher-yielding bancassurance products.

Hong Kong banks to see wealth ‘windfall’ as fees jump: report

Risk appetite also remains “firm” thanks to expectations of further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve through the year

Vietnam needs to balance economic growth targets of at least 10% on average over the next five years with steps to curtail side effects from debt-fuelled expansion.

Hidden risks build at Vietnam banks on mounting debt guarantees

The country needs to balance economic growth targets with steps to curtail side effects from debt-fuelled expansion

US bank deposits will drop by one-third of stablecoin market capitalisation, Standard Chartered estimates.

Stablecoins are US$500 billion risk to bank deposits: report

Bank lobbying groups fear that if crypto firms are allowed to offer rewards, that poses a material deposit flight risk