preview

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Globalization In The Banking Industry

Decent Essays

The banking industry faces many barriers to globalization. Overcoming cultural differences and dealing with varying regulations and financial systems make it very difficult to establish a truly global bank. Citigroup (or Citi), formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group, is a leader in international banking and one of the largest companies in the world, in terms of assets. In 2010 it had $65 billion in revenues and 263,000 staff around the world
(compared to 358,000 at its peak in 2008) and served over 200 million customer accounts in more than 100 countries. 40 percent of its income originates in the United States, 18 percent from Europe and Middle East, 19 percent from Latin America, and 23 percent from Asia.
Citigroup enters a developing country via mergers and acquisitions where possible, and implements its own mar- keting strategy. In the first stage of development, it caters to
CHAPTER 21 CHINA 693 the global customer (usually a large corporation) by providing short-term loans, cash management, and foreign exchange services. During a country’s second stage of development, as demand grows in the face of a burgeoning middle class, Citigroup begins to offer personal financial products.
In China, the political climate has …show more content…

These include the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and other large foreign competi- tors such as HSBC, which also has extensive experience in the region. The Pudong deal was relatively small compared to rivals’ acquisitions and it has continued to look for big- ger opportunities. Mainland China recently generated only 2 percent of Citigroup’s Asian revenues, as against higher percentages from smaller economies, including Hong Kong (12 percent), South Korea (14 percent), and India (10 per- cent). It clearly has much work to do to build a position in China commensurate with its global

Get Access