Word: stanchart
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...been with Standard Chartered. Though headquartered in London, most of StanChart's operations are centered in the emerging markets of Asia, the Middle East and Africa - and as a result, it has not only weathered the crisis but continued to prosper. Last year, during the height of the economic storm, the bank's pretax profits surged 19%, while assets increased 32% to $435 billion. This was no fluke: StanChart in early May said it achieved record profits in the first quarter of 2009, and its London-listed shares have doubled since March. Such a stellar performance during the worst recession...
...loans, while other marginal customers were denied further credit. To strengthen the bank's financial position even more, Sands raised $2.7 billion in capital through a December share sale, raising the bank's key "tier one" capital ratio to 10.1%. (An 8% ratio is considered healthy.) Jaspal Singh Bindra, StanChart's Hong Kong - based CEO for Asia, says that previous downturns like the 1997 Asian crisis made management especially wary of financial-system turmoil. "We learned that when there is a market problem, it spreads from a problem to a crisis very quickly," Bindra says...
...Although the bank's emerging-markets exposure in the past may have been something of a liability, it's turning out to be a strength today. StanChart derives 80% of its operating profits from Asia. While growth has plunged in some of the bank's most important regional markets, like Singapore, others have remained relatively buoyant, especially India, where StanChart has the largest branch network of any foreign bank. Its breadth across some of the region's fastest-growing economies gives it an enviable profile. StanChart "is one of the best-placed banks in the world," says Alex Potter, banking...
...Still, as the recession drags on, the odds are increasing that more of StanChart's borrowers will struggle to pay back their loans. The bank's nonperforming loans were up 30% in 2008 compared with the previous year. Even though some Asian economies, chiefly China and India, appear to have passed through the worst of the downturn, analysts still doubt StanChart can repeat 2008's performance this year. Brokerage CLSA predicts pretax profit growth will slow to 4% in 2009. Reflecting the heightened risk, Standard & Poor's in late April revised its outlook for the bank to negative. "The biggest...
...Confidence in its financial position has allowed StanChart to take advantage of crisis-created opportunities. As competitors retrench to repair tattered balance sheets, the bank is expanding its market share in key areas such as trade finance. It has boosted lending to small enterprises in Asia at no risk by participating in loan-guarantee programs implemented by governments to free up credit markets. Sands has also continued making strategic acquisitions, including the purchases of Cazenove Asia, a regional stock brokerage, and a 75% stake in another broker in India. Just as important, Sands has been beefing up the management ranks...
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