The Global Banker — Banking Industry News & Intelligence
Central Banks
Euro area banks tighten corporate lending standards by a net 7% in second quarter
Central Banks
Chile's monetary policy group recommends holding rate at 4.5% as Brent hits $116
Latest News
SBP raises policy rate by 50 basis points to 12% on energy and inflation risks
Societe Generale faces 2.37% Pillar 2 requirement from 1 January 2027
Euro area banks tighten corporate lending standards by a net 7% in second quarter
Chile's monetary policy group recommends holding rate at 4.5% as Brent hits $116
Reserve Bank of New Zealand proposes six capital rule changes, including lower credit card risk weights
Brazil's central bank sets new rules for credit offers within Pix from July 2027
EIB Group launches adaptation plan targeting at least €30 billion by 2030
Revolut launches UK personal loans of £2,000 to £25,000 and plans credit cards
Bank of Japan set to hold at 1.25% while signalling a possible December hike
Fed to propose higher supervisory category thresholds by year-end, Bowman says
HSBC launches AI-enabled HSBCnio platform for corporate and institutional clients
ECB set to hold deposit rate at 2.5% as slowdown delays next hike to December
Riksbank buys back 25.0 billion SEK of certificates at fixed 1.85% rate
PBOC sets up swap facility to address large non-bank bond redemptions
BPI plans ₱5 billion SIBOL sustainable bonds due 2028 for its 175th anniversary
Bangladesh Bank proposes cutting family seats on bank boards to two from three
Housing Bank for Trade and Finance lifts nine-month profit as lending grows 10.2%
Loans at listed Saudi banks rise 6.37% to SR3.31 trillion in third quarter
Central Bank of Iraq announces 7-day Islamic deposit certificate auction for 27 October
RBA's Hunter says four rate hikes have not yet tamed inflation as a fifth looks likely
Banking News
View All →Revolut launches UK personal loans of £2,000 to £25,000 and plans credit cards
Revolut's unsecured loans range from £2,000 to £25,000 at rates of 6.9% to 29.3%, and the bank intends to launch a credit card product in the near future.
Housing Bank for Trade and Finance lifts nine-month profit as lending grows 10.2%
The group's net profit after tax edged up on the year, while net direct credit facilities grew by 10.2% and the capital adequacy ratio stood at 18.8%.
Loans at listed Saudi banks rise 6.37% to SR3.31 trillion in third quarter
Lending at banks on the Saudi Exchange's main market grew 6.37% year on year to SR3.31 trillion, while customer deposits rose 4.7% to SR3.09 trillion, a slower pace than loans.
AIIB lends USD80 million in first nonsovereign green loan to Khan Bank
The five-year senior unsecured loan is AIIB's first investment in a Mongolian financial institution, with Korea Development Bank and Asian B-loan participants adding a further USD50 million.
Executive Moves
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Wells Fargo names Kleber Santos sole head of consumer arm, Van Beurden to lead AI
Kleber Santos becomes sole CEO of Consumer Banking and Lending as Saul Van Beurden, his co-CEO since the unit's formation in 2025, turns exclusively to leading AI across Wells Fargo.
BPI names Maria Cristina “Ginbee” Go chief executive from 26 April 2027
Maria Cristina “Ginbee” Go will become the first female president and CEO of the Philippines' oldest bank on 26 April 2027, succeeding Jose Teodoro “TG” Limcaoco, who stays on the board.
BMO appointed Tim Cox to lead United States banking operations
BMO appointed Tim Cox as United States country head and chief executive of its US subsidiaries from 1 November, while Darrel Hackett moves to an advisory role.
Bank of America appointed two former chief executives to board
Bank of America appointed former Dow chief Jim Fitterling and former KPMG chair Bill Thomas as directors, adding industrial and financial reporting expertise to its board.
TGB Magazine
Latest issueIssue 08
Q4 2026: Record profits, on a tightrope
The first half paid banks well for volatility, wealth and lending. The rate cycle has now turned, and the second half will test which of those engines keeps running.
In this issue
M&A
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Shiga Bank and Senshu Ikeda enter final merger talks to create top Kansai regional lender
The two banks are in the final stages of talks on a tie-up that would overtake Kyoto Financial Group by assets, though both say nothing concrete has been decided.
RHB Bank wins extension to February 2027 for Tokio Marine insurance deal talks
RHB Bank now has until 11 February 2027 to negotiate with Tokio Marine Asia over the proposed disposal of up to 100% of RHB Insurance, after Bank Negara Malaysia approved an extension.
LSEG agreed $3.535 billion Octus acquisition to expand global credit data
LSEG agreed to buy New York-based Octus for $3.535 billion in cash, adding private-credit intelligence, data and workflows to its global platform, subject to regulatory approval.
Standard Chartered signs agreements to buy Zodia Custody and separate its software arm
Standard Chartered has signed definitive agreements to buy 100% of Zodia Custody Limited, with the custody business to join its Securities Services unit and no client disruption expected.
Fintech
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HSBC launches AI-enabled HSBCnio platform for corporate and institutional clients
HSBC's HSBCnio platform lets clients' own AI tools read authorised account and transaction data through its Model Context Protocol, and an "Ask HSBC" feature is planned.
SoFi launches SOFIE deposit token paying 4.40% APY to consumers
SoFi Technologies launches SoFi Earn (SOFIE), a tokenized deposit paying 4.40% APY with each token representing $1 held at SoFi Bank, rolling out to SoFi Crypto members through November.
Danske Bank lets business customers connect AI agents to its Premium APIs
Danske Bank is linking customers' AI assistants directly to its Premium APIs through a Model Context Protocol server, so they can check balances and build cash-flow forecasts with simple prompts.
Google Cloud ended London incident after power event disrupted UK banks
Google ended the London cloud incident after a power event disrupted applications at Revolut, Lloyds, Halifax and HSBC, although its status page said a very small number of customers remained affected.
Regulations
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Societe Generale faces 2.37% Pillar 2 requirement from 1 January 2027
The ECB has set Societe Generale's Pillar 2 Requirement at 2.37%, including at least 1.39% in CET1, from 1 January 2027, against 2.36% for 2026.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand proposes six capital rule changes, including lower credit card risk weights
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is consulting on six changes to how lenders assess regulatory capital, aiming to align requirements with lending risks, with submissions closing at 5pm on 1 December 2026.
Brazil's central bank sets new rules for credit offers within Pix from July 2027
The rules, set out in a resolution due to take effect on 1 July 2027, aim to reinforce institutions' responsibilities in offering and granting credit and to give Pix users greater protection and transparency.
Fed to propose higher supervisory category thresholds by year-end, Bowman says
The Federal Reserve will propose by year-end to let more banks stay in the lowest level of regulatory scrutiny, with Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman suggesting thresholds track GDP growth since 2019.