Author: The Banking Outlook
New York, March 26, 2026 — Bank of America has launched an AI-powered meeting solution across its wealth management businesses, Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank, aimed at improving how advisors prepare for and manage client interactions. The new system, referred to as an AI-driven meeting workflow, is designed to support the full lifecycle of client engagement, including preparation, real-time note-taking, and post-meeting follow-up. The bank said the solution can help advisors save up to four hours per meeting by automating tasks such as compiling client insights, generating meeting summaries, and outlining next steps. This comes as the firm…
New York, March 25, 2026 — Citibank, N.A. has announced the full redemption of $2 billion of its 5.438% Notes due 2026 and $1 billion of its Floating Rate Notes due 2026. The redemption date for both tranches is March 30, 2026. The cash redemption price will be equal to par plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but excluding, the redemption date. The bank said the move is aligned with its liability management strategy and reflects ongoing efforts to optimise its funding and capital structure. Citibank added that it will continue to evaluate opportunities to redeem or repurchase securities…
London, March 20, 2026 — Standard Chartered and COFCO International have closed a $435 million sustainability-linked revolving credit facility aimed at supporting responsible agriculture supply chains in South America. The financing structure links COFCO International’s borrowing terms to measurable sustainability performance targets, focusing on social and resilience outcomes. It is described as the first publicly disclosed sustainability-linked loan in the region’s agriculture sector centred entirely on social and resilience impacts. Under the agreement, COFCO International’s margin will be adjusted based on two externally verified key performance indicators, including increased volumes of grains and oilseeds certified under recognised responsible agriculture standards,…
London, March 18, 2026 — UK mid-sized businesses could generate up to £105 billion in additional revenue by 2030 as artificial intelligence adoption accelerates, according to research commissioned by HSBC UK. The study, conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), points to a widening gap between companies experimenting with AI and those embedding it into core operations. Adoption among mid-sized firms has risen from 35% two years ago to 55% by the end of 2025, driven by increased use of automation, advanced analytics, and large language models. Firms integrating AI more deeply into their operations are already…
Hong Kong, Singapore, March 11, 2026 — Global corporates are increasing their exposure to the renminbi (RMB) across trade and supply chains, though financing and treasury strategies have yet to fully align with this shift, according to a report by Standard Chartered. The bank’s survey of nearly 300 corporates across 19 sectors shows that 23% of revenues and 25% of costs are linked to RMB exposure. However, only 14% of corporate debt is denominated in the currency, highlighting a gap between operational exposure and financing structures. The findings come as RMB internationalisation enters what the report describes as a more…
Africa, Middle East, Pakistan, March 5, 2025 — Standard Chartered has announced an expanded investment in its Futuremakers Women in Tech programme, extending its reach across Africa, the Middle East and Pakistan through a partnership with Village Capital. The three-year initiative aims to support 400 women entrepreneurs by providing training, funding and access to networks to help scale their businesses and drive economic impact. The programme will deliver more than 32 catalytic grants totalling nearly USD1.9 million and is expected to enable and support over 1,200 jobs across participating markets. It will be rolled out across 12 markets, including Bahrain,…
Singapore, March 4, 2026 — Standard Chartered has appointed Naveen Mallela as Global Head of Payments, effective May 4, 2026, as the bank consolidates its payments capabilities under a unified structure. Mallela will be based in Singapore and report to Mahesh Kini, Global Head of Cash Management. In his new role, he will lead an integrated payments organisation that brings together collections, clearing and payments teams, reflecting growing client demand for end-to-end solutions. The bank said the combined structure is intended to support delivery across the full payments lifecycle, including both traditional payment rails and emerging tokenised and on-chain payment…
Dubai, January 12, 2026 — HSBC has launched a set of onshore investment funds in the UAE, marking an expansion of its asset management footprint in a market that is seeing rising investor demand. The bank said it has registered ten funds with the UAE’s Capital Market Authority, offering both retail and institutional investors access to a range of investment strategies within the country. The move comes as regulatory changes in the UAE continue to encourage global asset managers to establish locally domiciled funds, shifting activity from offshore to onshore structures. HSBC said the funds will cover multiple asset classes…
BEIJING, Nov 11 (Reuters) – China’s central bank said on Tuesday it would maintain “appropriately loose” monetary policy, keep liquidity ample while improving its policy transmission, as the economy still faces risks and challenges. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) will keep liquidity ample, maintain prices at reasonable levels and lower the costs of banks’ liability and social financing, it said in its third-quarter monetary policy implementation report. China is due to release October credit data this week and other indicators of economic activity such as retail sales, industrial output and investment on Friday. All of those figures are forecast…
MADRID, Nov 13 (Reuters) – Sabadell (SABE.MC), opens new tab forecast lower lending income in 2025 due to pressure from interest rate cuts, as the focus shifts towards the Spanish bank’s profitability outlook after BBVA’s (BBVA.MC), opens new tab failed bid and the sale of its British business TSB. Spanish banks’ margins are being squeezed by lower interest rates, after they previously benefited from higher costs of loans tied mostly to variable rates. Sabadell’s net interest income, or earnings on loans minus deposit costs, fell 4% to 1.2 billion euros, below the 1.22 billion euros expected by analysts in a Reuters poll. For 2025, Sabadell…