Retail banking in Asia is on the cusp of a new era—an era of amazing growth and opportunities but one that will also see downward pressure on returns. Asia will reach over US$900 billion in retail banking revenues by 2020, growing at about 14 percent per year from 2010. It is expected to be the second-largest wealth management region globally after the United States, with more personal financial assets than Europe by 2015. This is also a market that will continue to see rapid shifts in three consumer behaviors: heightened demand on front-line services, fast adoption of new mobile platforms, and an increasing need for credit and a larger variety of products alongside growth of the middle class and urbanization.

These opportunities will not be easy to capture. Rapidly shifting consumer behavior calls for a revamp of traditional operating models: the role of branches may change, new channels will need to be introduced, and new capabilities will need to be built. Non-traditional competition will enter the market, vying with banks for the same revenue pools. New regulatory requirements as well as growing risks with new segments will continue to add to the cost of retail banking.

This collection of articles offers actionable insights for a new era of banking in Asia.