Overlooked and underserved. This is a common refrain heard from many small and medium-sized enterprises SME in Asia. But, as all eyes turn to the region in the aftermath of the financial crisis, local, regional and a handful of international banks with SME businesses are responding with ever more sophisticated services as they compete for business.
The SME sector is a broad church, though the precise definition varies from bank to bank. For a bank such as OCBC starts off with companies that have a turnover of about $8 million, rising to a top end with Citi handling clients who boast a turnover of $500 million. Though these businesses are...