The Weekly News Update is a weekly roundup of business news from around the Asia-Pacific region, covering Fusion Consulting's core industry practices: chemicals, consumer & retail, financial services, industrial & logistics, information & communication technology, life science and media & leisure. If you have colleagues or friends who may be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them and copy knowledge@fusionc.com.       Merging with the Mainland: China's M&A opportunities   M&A activity in China continues to surge, thanks to strong economic growth and  private equity activity. With regulatory changes in 2006, several sectors should see  further M&A action in 2007 and beyond. Find out where the opportunities lie.

Financial services

Vietnam - Banks slow to expand ATM access Source: ePaynews.com, 02 May 2008 Despite the growing number of bank cards in issue in Vietnam, the nation has only 50 ATMs for every one million inhabitants, or one ATM per 20,000 customers. The situation is caused by the fact that many banks form alliances with the purpose of having more ATMs for their customers to use. But, because no new ATMs are being installed, the total number of ATMs available remains the same. Each ATM costs US$20,000 to US$30,000 to install. Currently, there are four major bank ATM alliances in Vietnam. Viet Nam Bank Card (VNBC) has four banks as members. Smartlink has 20 members, while the Viet Nam National Financial Switching Joint Stock Company has eight members. Sacombank and the Vietnamese subsidiary of Australia's ANZ also have an ATM alliance. Philippines - Bank mergers dependent on market trends Source: BusinessWorld, 05 May 2008 Local market conditions and banks' ability to comply with capitalization requirements should dictate if the industry would see more consolidations, according to the central bank in Philippines. The local banking sector has witnessed a spate of mergers and acquisitions in the past couple of years, counting among them those between International Exchange Bank and Union Bank of the Philippines and China Banking Corporation and Manila Banking Corporation, both of which were completed in 2007. The merger between Banco de Oro Universal Bank and Equitable PCI Bank in 2007 was hailed as a landmark transaction as this created the second largest bank in terms of assets, relegating Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands to the number three spot. Aside from market conditions, current regulations would also ultimately determine the number of banks. Malaysia - Maybank to buy 15% of Pakistan bank Source: Business Times, 06 May 2008 Maybank plans to acquire 15% of Pakistan's MCB Bank for US$686 million cash to accelerate its regional plans. Maybank's purchase of Pakistan's fourth-biggest bank by assets is its third in two months. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of June and will immediately be earnings accretive on a standalone basis. In March, it made a successful - if somewhat hefty - bid of US$1.5 billion or 4.6 times book for 56% of Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII). Under a mandatory general offer, it could end up forking out another US$1.2 billion for the Indonesian bank. Earlier, it bought 15% of Vietnam's An Binh Bank for US$135.2 million cash or three times book. Its three successive buys will cost it US$4 billion.     View an example of our experience in this industry. Back to list of articles.  Visit our website to sign up for free intelligence on Asian markets.

This Weekly News Update is a free newsletter, providing a round-up of the week's Asia-Pacific news from our core industry practices. If you have colleagues or friends who may be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them and copy knowledge@fusionc.com.

Fusion Consulting is a business intelligence consultancy providing clear strategic advice on Asia-Pacific markets. With offices in Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong and 400 industry consultants in 16 countries, we conduct custom research and consulting to help companies understand their markets, compete more effectively and grow into new areas of opportunity. Email more@fusionc.com or visit www.fusionc.com for more information.