China

Major breakthrough in cross-strait banking talks

Talks succeed in easing market access rules for banks seeking to own stakes in other banks.

China gets tougher on sales of WMPs

Orders checks on underlying assets of volatile WMPs.

Planned BRICS bank to complement World Bank

But intends to break the grip of Americans, Europeans and Japanese in major lending institutions.

ICBC launches renminbi clearing services in Singapore

Also inaugurates three new “hubs” focusing on renminbi businesses.

Credit card fraud tops Shanghai’s financial crimes list

Accounted for 88% of financial crime cases in court in 2012.

ICBC reports 14.5% hike in earnings

Performance in 2012 makes it the world’s most profitable bank.

China’s banking crisis has begun

Hong Kong economist said debt bomb is about to explode.

ABC and BOC report slower profit growth

Two of the Big Four banks said economic slowdown crippled loan demand in 2012.

China warns banks anew on WMPs

Orders banks to strengthen checks on underlying assets of Wealth Management Products.

Why BOC is top pick among Hong Kong banks

Has strongest capital adequacy ratio (12.3% Tier 1) vs peers, an attractive 5.2% dividend yield and CNH asset deployment growth potential.

Higher credit charges help depress ABC’s net profit

Agricultural Bank of China reported net profit of RMB 145.1bn for FY12.

Here’s more from Barclays

Stronger-than-expected fee income and lower credit costs push up profit.

CBRC warns banks against lending to nine sectors

Move is aimed at improving implementation of standardized loan procedures to reduce risk.

Check out HSBC's new RMB cross-border payments solution in China

Learn more about the tailor-made ‘gross-in / gross-out’ model.