ADB (The Asian Development Bank) has proposed a new way for countries in Southeast Asia to tap global capital markets to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ADB, a Manila-based multilateral lender has introduced the SDG Accelerator Bond (SAB), which was aimed at helping ASEAN countries reduce the perceived investment risk posed by an issuing entity, sector, or project with …

The Rebisco-led Asia United Bank relies on IT platforms to boost its business share by obtaining an Aa plus loan ranking and a stable outlook from Philippine Ratings Services Corporation. In the coming years, AUB is poised to launch new goods and services to strengthen its strategic strength while improving the banking experience of its customers. AUB will concentrate on …

In the midst of the slower speed of residential project sales, the Bank of Thailand has closely controlled property supply, vowing to hold unchanged loan-to – value (LTV) regulations for mortgage loans. Based on a review of the property sector’s remaining inventory, there is no oversupply in the industry, reported Ronadol Numnonda, Deputy Governor for Stability of Financial Institutions. Because …

Singapore’s banks and finance firms would have access to more funds if they face liquidity issues due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Singapore Monetary Authority (MAS) is carrying out a pre-emptive Singdollar term facility to handle liquidity constraints before they become severe challenges. Although Singapore’s banks and finance companies maintain healthy liquidity buffers, MAS is preemptively implementing this facility to …

KUALA LUMPUR – CIMB Bank Bhd and CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd (CIMB) has announced two new digital solutions for customers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to improve accesibility to the company’s offering. The two online solutions includes an online-to-branch application process for individual banking customers and the Biz Financing Portal for small and medium enterpises (SMEs) In a statement, …

KUALA LUMPUR – AirAsia Group Bhd has received a backing support from certain financial institution for more than RM1 billion, One day after its auditor cast doubt on the company’s ability to continue the business. AirAsia CEO Tan Sri Tony Fenandes said that the portion of the debt funding would be eligible under the Danajamin Prihatin Guarantee Scheme. The airline …

Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) has been named the second most helpful bank in Asia-Pacific during the coronavirus crisis – the only Philippine bank who made it on the top 20 list. UnionBank was next only to KakaoBank, the largest digital-only bank of South Korea. The online survey was conducted on April 1-30, 2020 by BankQuality Consumer Survey on …

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has certainly hit the Asean banks and induced a recession that is now currently affecting majority of the countries in the region. According to Fitch Ratings, They will be downgrading the Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) of around 20% of ASEAN banks portfolio beginning March. ASEAN banks portfolio ratings in this period are at around …

Central banks in Thailand and the US are expected to further slash their policy interest rates in the hope that monetary stimulus will help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, economists say. They also provided a grim forecast for Thailand’s economic outlook this year, expecting GDP growth to arrive at no more than 2%. The US Federal Reserve on …

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will provide regulatory relief to banks hit by the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF). The central bank stated in a statement Tuesday that it extended the coverage of Circular 1071, which provides the framework for the granting of regulatory aid to banks and quasi-banks. The circular was …