Banking
Bank of Thailand Urges Banks to Enhance Security over Internet Banking
The Bank of Thailand has alerted commercial banks to improve their security systems, after a hacker stole personal information belonging to a bank customer and used it to transfer money via Internet banking services. Meanwhile, the central bank continues to receive a stream of complaints regarding Internet banking and ATM fraud.
The Bank of Thailand has alerted commercial banks to improve their security systems, after a hacker stole personal information belonging to a bank customer and used it to transfer money via Internet banking services. Meanwhile, the central bank continues to receive a stream of complaints regarding Internet banking and ATM fraud.
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Bank of Thailand Urges Banks to Enhance Security over Internet Banking Scams
The output of other sectors was also affected during the recent crisis, although less markedly because they had been growing slower than the sectors linked to external demand.
Overall, domestic demand should provide a positive but limited contribution to growth: vulnerable households lost ground in 2009 and risks are substantial in 2010, as falling agricultural output due to the current drought may offset opportunities from the improved overall economic environment. Household consumption levels, which are highly correlated with the poverty rate, contracted in 2009 despite the rebound in the last quarter of the year, suggesting a likely increase in the poverty rate compared to 2008, especially when compounded by the loss in purchasing power from the food and fuel crisis of 2008. The outlook for 2010 is uncertain : average wages are likely to increase, thanks to the reallocation of labor from agriculture to manufacturing. Although labor markets appear very tight, with unemployment below 1 %, the data do not account for the large number of workers who moved to lower-productivity jobs in agriculture and informal services due to the crisis. Many of these workers are now returning to manufacturing, which offers higher wages than agriculture.
‘‘The bigger Thai companies going on international road shows still stop in the US, Europe, Hong Kong and Singapore. But a few are also beginning to go to China and the Middle East as well,’’ Mr Wood said.
‘‘Only 35 companies on the SET have market capitalizations of more than $1 billion, with another 80 companies between $200 million and $1 billion.
Despite the failure of the BSE, the concept of an orderly, officially supported securities market in Thailand had by then attracted considerable attention. In this regard, the Second National Economic and Social Development Plan (1967-1971) proposed, for the first time,
a plan for the establishment of such a market, with appropriate facilities and procedures for securities trading.
In 1969, as recommended by the World Bank, the government acquired the services of Professor Sidney M. Robbins from Columbia University to study the development channels of the Thai capital market. Professor Robbins had previously served as Chief Economist at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The same year proved an eventful one for the Thai capital market, as the Bank of Thailand also formed a Working Group on Capital Market Development, which was assigned the task of establishing the stock market. A year later, in 1970, Professor Robbins produced a comprehensive report entitled “A Capital Market in Thailand”. This report became the master plan for the future development of the Thai capital market.
Banking
HSBC to Scale Back China Credit Card Operations Amid Expansion Challenges – Reuters
HSBC is withdrawing from its China credit card business due to difficulties in expanding, marking a strategic retreat in a challenging market environment.
HSBC’s Strategy Shift in China
HSBC is scaling back its credit card operations in China, highlighting challenges the bank has faced in expanding its customer base. The competitive landscape, combined with changing consumer preferences, has made it increasingly difficult for the bank to maintain its position in this lucrative market.
Market Challenges Ahead
Recent reports indicate that HSBC is reassessing its strategy, focusing resources on other areas where it sees stronger growth potential. The decision to pull back reflects the broader difficulties foreign banks encounter when trying to penetrate China’s financial services sector.
Future Focus
As HSBC pivots away from its credit card business in China, it aims to concentrate on digital banking and wealth management services. This strategic shift underscores the bank’s commitment to adapting to the evolving landscape of financial services while ensuring long-term sustainability in the region.
Source : Exclusive: HSBC pulling back from China credit card business after struggling to expand – Reuters
Banking
Bow to Beijing a low move by HSBC
HSBC has put money before morality to back China’s new security law: one that’s an assault on the freedoms of Hong Kong’s people.
Luckily for HSBC, it’s headquartered in Britain: a country where you can say what you like about Boris Johnson and his shambolic handling of the pandemic.
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How China’s role in global finance has changed radically
Within the space of just 15 years, China has gone from being the largest net lender to the world to now being a net borrower. The implications for the global economy, and China’s role within that economy, could be significant.
‘If you owe the bank $1 million, you have a problem. But if you owe the bank $1 trillion, then the bank has a problem’. It’s an old gag, but it underscores an important point: the size of your borrowing or lending can have profound implications for your role in the world.
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