An online forum for thought leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities impacting the changing world of banking.

February 1, 2012

Key Drivers of Wholesale Banking

Banking activities extend much beyond the retail services which banks provide to individuals. Wholesale banking comprises underwriting, market making, consultancy, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) fund management and the like. The clients in this case are business corporations, government entities and other institutional customers. 

Continue reading "Key Drivers of Wholesale Banking" »

January 20, 2012

Banks: Growing from Transaction Fulfillers to Financial Solution Providers

A friend, who used to manage his own investments, learnt a hard lesson when his so-called prized stocks turned out to be duds. Now he relies on the advice of a professional wealth manager.

Continue reading "Banks: Growing from Transaction Fulfillers to Financial Solution Providers" »

January 16, 2012

Tapping the Sukuk Opportunity

In the financial crisis years, one business stood out for its performance and resilience in an unfavorable environment - Islamic Banking. This is largely due to the governing Shariah Law, which forbids Islamic Financial Institutions from exposing themselves to the kind of dubious instruments, which triggered the crisis. 

Continue reading "Tapping the Sukuk Opportunity" »

January 10, 2012

Go for Gold!

Compared to the rough seas of stock markets and currencies, precious metals have been an ocean of calm. As an asset class, metals have a lot going for them - long lasting value; insensitivity to the vagaries of weather or transport; and scarcity, which keeps adding to their value. But beyond that, they are a hedge against inflation and an important component of a diversified portfolio.

Continue reading "Go for Gold!" »

January 2, 2012

A Plan That Won't Fail

My neighbor's daughter has just been accepted into a top rung medical school.  But he has no time to rejoice, he's so busy trying to cough up the fee. 

Continue reading "A Plan That Won't Fail" »

December 23, 2011

Tap the Agricultural Microfinance Opportunity

"If you are uplifting the poor, you are uplifting the nation," said Mahatma Gandhi.  It is two decades since the initiation of banking reforms in India. World-class banking products are now available, but a majority of the rural folk has no access to them.  We are talking about a Rs. 50,000 crores market lying untapped!  To exploit this potential opportunity, Indian banks should look at adopting the microfinance route taken by their counterparts in other countries, such as Bangladesh and Brazil.

Continue reading "Tap the Agricultural Microfinance Opportunity" »

December 19, 2011

Rich Internet Applications: Enabling Productivity and Experience

Take a moment to consider the world's Internet habits:
• In March 2011, there were 2.095 billion Internet users around the world; 44% of them were in Asia and 22% in Europe.

Continue reading "Rich Internet Applications: Enabling Productivity and Experience" »

December 12, 2011

Scope for CBS implementation in Algeria

In 2009, most parts of the world were still battling the financial crisis or reeling from its after-effects. But the Saharan country of Algeria surprisingly showed an 18.5% increase in economic growth indicating a resilient financial system.  This can be attributed to the fact that Algerian banks rely mainly on domestic funds and their dependence on external financing is minimal. Also, reforms in the banking sector have brought about: 

Continue reading "Scope for CBS implementation in Algeria" »

December 2, 2011

Bye-bye plastic money?

Before leaving Japan, I was in a shopping mall to buy some souvenirs for my friends and relatives. While in the billing queue, I was surprised to see people flashing their mobile phones near a device at the billing counter to pay their billed amount and moving on with their purchased items.  

Continue reading "Bye-bye plastic money?" »

November 22, 2011

Why TV Banking Hasn't Taken Off

According to the 2001 census, out of 192 million households in India, 61 million owned a television set. If you consider this, and the fact that television reached rural India long before the mobile phone, isn't it surprising that TV banking   was launched in India only in 2009, ten years after it debuted in other parts of the world? 

Continue reading "Why TV Banking Hasn't Taken Off" »

Subscribe to this blog's feed

Follow us on

Finacle on Twitter