Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Can't be called global until you're in India

Banks aspiring to become global must have a presence in India and other emerging economies, who are set to become a major source of financial sector revenue and profit growth, according Ernst and Young.

"In the near future, banks will not be able to say they are global unless they have a presence in China, India and a few other countries, because these emerging Markets are going to be a major source of financial sector revenue and profit growth," the international consulting firm said in a report prepared jointly with UK-based research firm Oxford Analytica.

The report, titled 'Strategic Business Risk 2008 – the Top 10 Risks for Business', noted that a late entry into these Asian Markets would make it difficult for foreign banks to keep up with competition.

For the Asian banks themselves, the report pointed out, one of the main threats is the rapid transformation from "government bureaucracies into corporate governance and transparency-driven organisations".

The report also noted emerging Markets as one of the ten strategic business risks for year 2008. Other risks included regulatory and compliance, global financial shocks, aging consumers and workforce, industry consolidation or transition, energy shocks, executing strategic transactions, cost inflation, radical greening and consumer demand shifts.

According to the report, regulatory and compliance risk has been considered as the "greatest strategic challenge facing leading global businesses in 2008".

"This is being driven by an escalating regulatory burden in many Markets, as well as numerous compliance challenges as Companies extend their value chains well beyond Europe, North America, and the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China)," it said.

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