Executive Columns

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...

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.

The online technology revolution is having a profound effect on the way people and businesses manage their money. In this fast evolving age, the stakes are high for organisations to meet the expectations of clients and customers who continually demand...

There is often a misconception that innovation is about inventing ‘the next big thing’, but for me it is about simplicity. Anyone can make things complicated, but it takes real skill to make things simple. Rather than focusing on innovation...

We live in a fast-paced world where technology and the digital space have changed our lives – from the way we learn, entertain and shop, to how we connect, communicate and do business. In an age where speed and convenience...

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...

There are many parallels often explored between the Great Depression and the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) with analysis usually focused on the debt binge that led to the crisis and the contagion effect it had on the global economy. One...

Australia’s financial services market is an economic powerhouse. The largest contributor to our national output, it provided around 11 per cent of real gross value-added in 2010-11, and continues to grow faster than most other sectors of the economy.

The best way to sum up the role of technology and innovation in business today and in the future is to borrow a line from one of the world’s most successful business people, technologist Bill Gates. “Information technology and business...

When I became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Australia Bank (NAB) in 2009, the world was experiencing the biggest global downturn since the great depression. Banks were not viewed favourably in the community, and while we attempted to point...

Banking has often been considered a very traditional business. Monte dei Paschi di Siena is the oldest surviving bank in the world today, some 750 years old. When you walk into Banca Monte dei Paschi’s oldest branch (established 1472), not...

In a competitive industry like ours, where many products are commoditised, banks must continually innovate to stay ahead of the pack. Jack Welch, former Chief Executive Officer of General Electric, put it best when he said: “When the rate of...

With the rapid growth of the wealth management industry in Asia, there is an increasing demand for well qualified professionals. According to a recent BCG Global Wealth Report, private wealth in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan, has increased by 10.7...

The advent of technology in recent years has inexorably altered consumer behaviour and expectations. Speed and convenience have become more than just buzzwords and any good innovation must serve one primary purpose: enabling and empowering the customer.

Increasing globalisation and consolidation of industries are fundamentally changing the risk management landscape, and with these changes come new challenges for international risk management.