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Banking and insurance
The Banking & Insurance sector – often referred to as the lifeblood of the real economy – is of vital importance in the modern credit-driven economic growth model. Among its functions are intermediation between savers and borrowers, ensuring funds are allocated efficiently; support of payment and settlement systems that facilitate trade and international economic relations; and provision of various products that mitigate risk and uncertainty. The accelerating pace of technological change, stricter regulation and shifting consumer habits are reshaping the traditional banking model and pushing the sector towards innovation-led growth.
Activities associated with Banking & Insurance are depositary and non-depositary credit intermediation and related activities, investment banking, securities brokerage, commodity contracts dealing and diverse financial investment activities. The sector also includes insurers, re-insurers and insurance brokerages, pension funds, health and welfare funds, monetary authorities, stock exchanges, and collection and credit agencies.
In the first quarter of 2019, total retail sales of consumer goods in China rose by 8.3% y/y to RMB 9,779bn, following a 3.5% y/y increase in the last quarter of 2018. The improved performance was attributed to higher retail sales, a result of higher ...
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In the first quarter of 2019, China’s pharmaceutical and medicine production declined by 7.2% y/y to 720,000 tonnes, while the sales of pharmaceuticals went down by 3.4% y/y to 700,460 tonnes. The decline in output can be linked to the ...
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According to the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), in the first quarter of 2019, China produced 231.1mn tonnes of crude steel and 269.1mn tonnes of steel products, up by 8.9% y/y and 9% y/y, respectively. Data from the National Bureau of ...
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Although Ecuador is the smallest member of the OPEC, the country has a prominent position in the oil and gas sector in Latin America. In 2018, it had the third largest proven oil reserves in the region and was its fifth biggest oil producer. The oil ...
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After the partial restructuring and the slowdown in expansion in 2018, China’s insurance industry welcomed a solid rebound at the beginning of 2019. Total premiums during the first quarter resumed a double-digit annual growth rate of 15.9%, ...
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China food sector’s revenue in the first quarter of 2019 fell by 10.3% y/y to RMB 446.7bn, mainly due to the decline in some major food prices. In Q1 2019, pork price slid by 1.2% y/y. The prices of aquatic products and refined edible vegetable ...
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In 2018, in an environment of economic growth and loose monetary conditions, with the Central Bank keeping the monetary policy rate at a multi-year low of 4.25%, the Colombian banking sector posted a loan portfolio expansion of 6.1% y/y and total ...
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The oil and gas sector is important to Colombia’s economy, representing 40% of the country’s total export value and 22.3% of total FDI inflow as of 2018. The sector is dominated by state-run company Ecopetrol, which, along with its ...
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With an output of 34.7mn tonnes in 2018, Brazil remained the world’s ninth largest crude steel manufacturer and the sixth biggest net steel exporter. The country is also an important player in the global non-ferrous metals processing segment, ...
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Southeast Asia is an important player in the hydrocarbon industry, being home to a tenth of the world’s natural gas reserves and nearly 3% of the global oil reserves. The region’s share in global natural gas production stood at 16.5% in ...
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