Financial supermarkets pile it high

Malaysia's central bank is a major force behind banking consolidation. Though cautious about repeating past mistakes, it is taking measures to ensure that Malaysian institutions can compete regionally and fend off foreign competition at home. The country's bankers have not been backward in acting on the pressure from above. Maggie Ford reports.

Rip-roaring Malaysia, home of high growth, big capital markets and buildings tall enough to break records, has now decided that big is beautiful for banks, too. Merger and takeover fever has swept the stock market and the rumour mill is working overtime.

Already new financial supermarkets are taking shape, involving some of the biggest names in Malaysian business. The buzz words are global competition and regional expansion. But there’s also an emphasis on prudent management, capital adequacy and grasping the concept of risk.

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