Regionalisation of local banks

• Main Authors: Chan, Lan Foong, Gan, Sze Bin, Yeow, Tze Hui
• Other Authors: Nanyang Business School
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Business::General
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/55562
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Most large businesses prefer not to focus on the home market in order to generate the whole of their income. Instead, they regionalise or go further afield and internationalise. Banks are no exception. In relation to Singapore’s banks, they have tended to regionalise. Although there are many problems to overcome in getting there. The advantages and problems are described in this report. It has been found that the local banks were regionalised to a limited extent in the late 1970s and they have continued to focus on regional, rather than international development during the past seventeen years. The research has shown that the older local banks, these bring Overseas Union Bank, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation and United Overseas Bank are much more regionalised than the newer local banks, these being the Development Bank of Singapore, Keppel Bank and Tat Lee Bank. With countries in the region expected to show good growth figures, especially in comparison with developed countries, it is anticipated that local banks will continue to have a regional rather than an international thrust. Likely countries in which all the local banks may soon have a presence are India, Thailand and Vietnam.