From the crash of 1929 to around 1981, banking was generally considered a fairly dreary business. And between now and 2025, banking seems likely to undergo a digitally driven transformation that will change how we save, spend, borrow and invest. Even as regulators do their best to try to make banking a boring business again, and politicians still vow to rein in the “banksters”, a number of well-financed start-ups look poised to reinvent almost every aspect of finance—and could even make banking sexy once more. First we look at how regulators’ push and FinTech’s pull may be setting the stage for some dramatic changes.
Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent and Their New Online Banks
To boost the economy and help small and medium enterprises get capital more easily, the Chinese government is encouraging non-government entities to invest in financial institutions, even allowing private companies to open their own banks. When the government announced its decision to grant five banking licenses for private banks earlier this year, the big three tech companies—Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu—jumped at the opportunity. Given the technological expertise of their backers, these online banks are able to leverage things like big data and cloud computing to assess credit worthiness and tailor the user experience. But can they outmaneuver traditional banks?
China Roundup: The Chinese Economy Posts Weak Numbers
This week, various economic indicators released on the Chinese economy showed slower growth and Alibaba invested in Snapchat
The Hidden Risks in Wealth Management in China
The government is putting wealth management in China under the microscope, and is slowly catching up with the inherent risk of wealth management products. Can banks continue to invent new skirting methods? Bank deposits are boring, says Jane, a new recruit at a local bank in Shanghai. In a country where the government holds deposit […]
China Roundup: Metal-financing Scandal Deepens; FTZ Interest Rate Uncapped; And Fosun’s stake in US Film Studio
The week that was: metal-financing fraud puts small traders in risks; forex interest rate liberation expands in Shanghai; Xunlei files for IPO; and Fosun buys into US film studio. China’s metal-financing scandal: ramifications Missing stockpiles of metals used as collateral to secure bank loans at China’s third largest port has caused domestic and international lenders to […]
China Roundup: Panasonic’s Pollution Compensation and Alibaba IPO Heads for US Shores
The week that was: Panasonic offers China-based Japanese workers hardship allowance; Alibaba IPO to reportedly happen in New York and not Hong Kong; tech giants plan to issue virtual credit cards; and premier Li Keqiang acknowledges the 7.5% GDP growth target is flexible. Panasonic’s air pollution compensation There seems to be a silver lining in China’s pollution […]
The Money Squeeze: China’s tightening Credit Market
The first signs of light emerge amidst the dark prospects for private enterprises in China’s ever-tightening credit market It’s been a miserable few months for financing in China’s private sector. A growing number of debt defaults by companies has spurred regulatory crackdowns on the unofficial lending sector, sometimes called ‘shadow banking’, which has sustained (not […]
Joint Liability of Platform Loans
Despite the fact that local governments avoid paying debts, banks do not have sufficiently powerful means to regulate debtors. It remains doubtful whether or not the central government will be able to repay the debts. Therefore, it is inappropriate to presume the safety of platform loans with the argument that “the government will assume joint […]
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