Taiwan's rising prominence as an offshore renminbi centre reached a milestone earlier this year when the Bank of China opened a clearing bank in Taipei. But with Hong Kong, and to a lesser extent London and Singapore, already working as offshore renminbi hubs, where will Taiwan fit in?
The foreign exchange markets have been tough of late, amid relentlessly declining volatility and persistently low returns. However, a shift in the economic landscape may give managers a chance to shine in the coming year and take advantage of new relationships with the banking community.
Hong Kong is the world’s offshore centre for the renminbi, and now other international centres are joining the Chinese currency’s path to internationalisation. But as additional pools of liquidity are being created, will the new centres dilute the existing offshore liquidity and create separate puddles rather than one large pool?
Ahead of Sibos 2012, Gottfried Leibbrandt, chief executive officer of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or Swift, sat down for an exclusive interview with The Banker to discuss the conference agenda and the company's position in a rapidly changing global landscape.
The battle to persuade customers to ditch their traditional wallets in favour of a digitised version on their mobile phone has stepped up a notch in the past few months, with big technology and internet companies threatening the territory of the more familiar payment brands. Jane Cooper looks at who is making the early running in this war of the wallets.
As the Chinese authorities lift restrictions and open up the renminbi market stage by stage, the significance of what is unfolding has not gone unrecognised in Europe, and, according to a recent survey by The Banker, it is not only those already doing business with the country that are interested in the renminbi's development. As London takes steps to establish itself as an offshore renminbi financial centre, many are anxious to take advantage of the opportunities soon to be available.
The transaction banking landscape is undergoing a period of significant change, leaving bankers with the task of navigating competitive and regulatory pressures while staying focused on innovation and operating efficiency. At a recent round table hosted by The Banker, a panel of industry experts discussed these issues and how they are often intertwined. The event, part of an ongoing series, was sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland, but independently written and edited.
Faced with a mass of regulatory reform and the ill-effects of the sovereign debt crisis, transaction banking is set for more change. And despite the emergence of new competitors, the competitive landscape is contracting thanks to global consolidation. The Banker speaks to some of the world's leading transaction bankers about their strategies for the coming year and beyond.
There seems to be something of an inevitability about the renminbi's rise to reserve currency and global dominance. However, there are mutterings that this ascents will be curtailed by China's development model, corporate governance and financial system.
Despite the volatility in the global economy, the international value of the renminbi is increasing. But with China's slowing economy and the uncertainty surrounding how much further the country will go in liberalising its currency, how straightforward is the road ahead?