BCG - The Boston Consulting Group

Hans-Paul Bürkner is the global CEO of BCG. His perspectives on financial service business are always brilliant and profound. Most of his audience and advice seekers are senior leaders of the most important players in the world.

Christoph Nettesheim, Senior partner and Managing Director of BCG Greater China shared his perspectives on extensive topics, including China's economy, corporate competency, labor market and business environment.

David Michael, a senior partner in BCG's Beijing office and lead author of the China's Digital Generations 2.0 report, talked about the insights into China's digital consumption trends.

A dramatic shift in the geographic distribution of consumer spending power is under way in China. The middle classes are expanding out beyond the largest cities more rapidly and in greater numbers than any market has ever witnessed.

To avoid becoming a victim of the merger, China's city commercial banks need a new and decisive “battle program”.

China had the world's fifth-largest population of millionaires in 2008, at 391,000, up 20 percent from the previous year.

Consumer goods market is divided into two consumption pools. As for high-end goods, consumers are trading up for high-quality ones; on the other hand, they are trading down for the ones with low price.

Banking industry still needs to act as the "blood transfusion tube" , and must be cautious about the trap that "increasing the loan means increasing the risk".

Banks are facing the double challenges of financial crisis and measures for supporting stimulating response. They will need to be cautious and selective, and review and make changes to their governance and management structures, in order to promote sustainable economic growth and protect themselves against deteriorating credit quality.

Rachel Lee of the Boston Consulting Group thinks firms like AstraZeneca bring much-needed professionalism to China’s drugs industry, once dominated by local generics firms notorious for relying on cronyism and kickbacks. Western firms are, she suggests, thus helping Chinese doctors shift towards “evidence based” medicine.

Chinese companies should focus on three initiatives to increase survival ability, boost profitability and retain client resources.

It is the perfect time for local Chinese banks to develop private banking business given that Chinese customers have developed their needs on private banking business over the past 10 years while global leading banks are struggling in the financial market crisis.

Life story about some successful business leaders and the reasons for their success.

Emerging markets are shifting their roles as suppliers or distributors to competitors due to their cost advantage.

Chinese banks have good reasons to venture abroad but face a range of challenges, so they need to be selective as they purchase cross-board M&A activities.

Chinese banks cannot be impatient when conducting overseas M&A activities since the overall financial situation is still unpredictable.

Chinese banks should watch out when buying cheap assets in Wall Street because the risk is still high in the U.S. financial market.

Chinese banks need to watch out when conducting global M&A activities and the key is to have a clear global strategy and the confidence of setting up sales channels.

Cheap is not the only criteria to make judgment when Chinese banks decide whether to purchase overseas assets.

Consumers are shifting to locals brands given high price from MNCs.