Hello Bank digital-first, not digital-only

BNP Paribas has shown that it understands the need to combine the benefits of a digital-only offering with the reassurance customers gain from a branch network. Banks will need to take this digital-first rather than digital-only approach until customers are ready to let go of the branch.

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ING Belgium leverages personal banking for private bank

Private banks such as ING dominate the wealth management market in Belgium. The breadth of services provided by private banks is the major differentiating factor that has pushed them into this market-leading position. In addition, private banks that are part of a universal banking group have been very successful due to their strategic targeting of the aspiring mass affluent segment.

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French HNWs seek refuge in Belgium

Over the coming years the number of French HNW expats to Belgium is likely to rise due to fears surrounding increased taxation in France under President Hollande's socialist government. Belgium is already an attractive location for French HNW expats, due to its close proximity to France, favorable business taxes, and shared language.

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Belgium's stagnating wealth market

The Belgian wealth market has gone through some turbulent years, with a sharp decline in 2008 followed by flat growth. Although data from Datamonitor's Global Wealth Market Analytics show marginally more substantial growth levels, the stubbornly high inflation is eating away much of the returns in the market.

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Ablynx: new data announced in rheumatoid arthritis for potential biobetter ozoralizumab

Ablynx is looking for a new partner to progress the development of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) pipeline drug ozoralizumab, which utilizes novel "nanobody" technology to achieve some differentiating factors in this profitable but crowded market. The new results are promising, but true differentiation among anti-TNF brands is hard to achieve.

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New food review: glitter and gold add sparkle to gum and jam

Glitter effects are being increasingly used by manufacturers, as seen in this month's round-up of novel food introductions, with recent innovations including gum coated in "beaten silver" and jam featuring edible gold. Soup, meanwhile, has borrowed an idea from hot drinks with the launch of a self-heating pouch, while economy branding has taken an irreverent turn with the launch of "crisis chips."

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PLA Innovation of the Week: self-heating soup

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New drinks review: QR branding sees wine embrace the smartphone era

The emergence of QR codes in line with growing consumer take-up of smartphone technology is offering diverse marketing and branding opportunities to consumer goods companies, as evidenced by the sparkling wine launch that headlines this month's rundown of drinks innovations. Meanwhile, new flavors are emerging in the gin segment and novel formats are being explored for liqueurs and bottled water.

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New household products review: bamboo stands tall in novel household paper launches

The potential of bamboo within the consumer goods market is once again being explored by manufacturers, as this month's rundown of household goods innovations reveals. The plant's fibers feature in two novel household paper launches in Europe, and points to how household goods producers are continually looking to raise the bar in terms of environmental credibility.

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New food review: nutritionally enhanced broccoli emerges as new "super superfood"

The race to develop ever more nutritionally beneficial foods has gathered pace, as revealed in this month's summary of the latest food industry launches, with the launch of a new broccoli enhanced with cancer-fighting agents. Meanwhile, the egg category could be, quite literally, set for a shakeup, with the launch of an innovative aerosol format.

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