HSBC / Korea First Bank: foreign players will steady Korean ship

The last few years have been turbulent ones for South Korea's banking sector following a consumer spending boom turned sour. Yet the great interest evoked by Newbridge Capital's sale of its stake in KFB shows the market is turning a corner, with foreign players now keen to invest in the market. The presence of these players should ensure greater stability going forward.

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Merrill Lynch: renewed hope with the rising sun

Merrill Lynch [MER] and Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group (MTFG) are in the latter stages of negotiations to establish a private banking and brokerage joint venture in Japan. If the deal goes through it will represent a compelling combination, and provide Merrill with unprecedented access to the enormous Japanese wealth market.

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Japan Post: a lucrative opportunity - for a bank with the cash

Radical plans to privatize Japan Post from April 2007 were announced yesterday. The Japanese postal service is the world's largest financial institution with savings deposits of $2,095 billion and some 25,000 branches. Its likely privatization is a daunting prospect for local competitors.

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Mizuho: when east meets west

Japan's Mizuho [8411.TO] bank has announced new links with US-based banks Wachovia [WB], Bank of New York [BK] and Wells Fargo [WFC]. Mizuho will use the links to develop a range of investment and retail products. More importantly though, Mizuho also plans to establish a private bank, but it will need to find a specialist wealth management partner to avoid over-stretching its capabilities.

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Biometric banking technology: the future is now

In an attempt to offer increased convenience and protection to customers, the Japanese Bankers Association has announced plans to establish a standardized biometric customer identification system. If the technology proves successful, other banks may follow suit, although numerous concerns need to be overcome before this can become a reality.

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Asia Pacific wealth: burgeoning market for philanthropic services

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JCB/Discover: global scheme deal set to benefit consumers

From autumn 2007, Discover will begin accepting JCB cards through its payment terminals across the US. This should quadruple merchant acceptance of JCB cards in the US, helping JCB expand its global presence and boost its profits as its home market becomes increasingly saturated. Furthermore, the tie-up looks set to not only grow JCB's profits, but also please consumers, who may benefit the most.

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PayPal hit by regulations again, halts personal payments in Japan

PayPal recently announced that as of March 31 customers in Japan are no longer able to make personal payments to individuals using the company's 'send money' service and that the facility would remain suspended until further notice. It is possible that, by attracting regulatory attention, PayPal's very success is playing into the hands of competing firms.

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Bank of Japan hoping to boost economy by encouraging investment in private businesses

Despite recent figures indicating that the Japanese economy is performing well, weak domestic consumption has left growth dependent upon unstable demand from Asian countries for high-tech and automotive goods. As a result, the Bank of Japan has announced plans to lend JPY3 trillion to commercial banks to invest in private businesses in a bid to stimulate the economy on a more long-term scale.

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Online commerce: creating opportunities for new type of cooperation in combating fraud

The growth in online commerce is creating opportunities for fraudsters and this in turn calls for a new type of cooperation between consumers, merchants, and card-issuing banks. For banks, this means that educating the customer and the merchant is becoming as important as directly targeting compromised accounts, particularly given the magnitude of recent security breaches in the industry.

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