Executive Columns

It is hardly a surprise to anyone today to hear that the pace of technology is accelerating, and that it is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. Technology is transforming in every part of our lives – how we communicate, live, work,...

In 1903, Henry Ford’s lawyer, Horace Rackham, was advised by the President of the Michigan Savings Bank against investing in Ford Motor Company. According to the bank chief, “The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a...

The millennial market is sometimes both revered and feared in equal measure, it seems. Long touted a force that marketers ignore at their own peril, this group of 18 to 35 year olds is only increasing in its power to...

SMEs often comprise more than 80% of total businesses in emerging markets, yet their access to finance can often be restricted, leaving limited options to raise capital and fund future growth plans. So while the appetite to innovate and grow...

Singapore is gearing up to become the world’s first Smart Nation with the government embarking on initiatives that harness technology to improve lives and build stronger communities. Some of these scientific developments, such as autonomous vehicles, will fundamentally change the...

FST Media: Who will survive the fintech revolution and why? Johnstone: The answer is “whoever best delivers a sense of belonging and engagement.”   Let’s start with some cold hard facts. The recently released 2016 World Banking Report highlights that...

Receiving junk mail in the post was an unavoidable hazard a couple of decades ago in the age of massmarketing. The hit and miss approach dominated the customer communication landscape, with less than optimal results for businesses and consumers alike....

Four years ago, IBM launched ‘Watson’, the result of a decade-long research project, which has the capacity understand ‘natural language’, and an unprecedented capacity to read and ‘digest’ electronic documents.  To prove these claims, IBM arranged a tournament of “Jeopardy”....

The 2014 Murray Inquiry into Australia’s financial system presented us with key findings on what the future might hold for financial services in Australia.

Maybank has always been proud of its innovative heritage. Over our 50 years of history, we have brought many firsts to Malaysia, especially in retail banking. To begin with, in 1978, our Kuala Lumpur main branch was the first Malaysian...

The pace of change that is upon us is extremely daunting. The world in which we live, work and bank today is continuously changing. Consumers today are far more demanding, and our ability to access information and make choices has...

In this exciting era of change, demand for new technology is outstripping supply and changing the expectations and behaviour of customers. Traditional business models are being upended, damage to a company’s reputation is a mere tweet away and new challenges...

Since Cigna Hong Kong first opened its doors for business in 1933, our team has been committed to improving Hongkongers’ health, well-being and sense of security. The key to our approach is to develop a better understanding of customers’ characteristics,...

Two big themes will dominate the way we think about financial services in the next few years. The first of these is the post-GFC operating environment: more prescriptive regulation; tougher capital and liquidity arrangements; and a subdued demand environment.

At UOB, we focus on the long-term. This is reflected in our mindset and our approach. We believe in balancing growth with stability to build a sustainable customer franchise in Asia. We do this through a disciplined focus on key...