Case Study

The transformation of the CIMB Group (B)

8 pages
November 2015
Reference: IMD-7-1680

CIMB Group transformed into a universal bank from 2005 to 2007, and restructuring had improved its efficiency. This brought significant improvements to its financial performance, with the group’s ROE increasing from 8.89% in 2005 to 20.05% in 2007, though the 2007 figure was partly the result of one-off gains. By 2014, however, the group’s ROE was back down to 9.2%. This was unusually low considering its ROE had ranged from 15% to 17% between 2009 and 2013. This was primarily due to the poor performance of the Indonesian subsidiary, CIMB Niaga, though the poor performance of the Malaysian wholesale banking operations was also a contributing factor. The Malaysian retail banking operations had, however, consistently increased their contribution to the group’s pre-tax profits. In February 2015 Zafrul Aziz was appointed CIMB Group CEO and executive director. The question was, should he focus on further growing the consumer banking operations? Or should he focus instead on improving efficiency and reducing costs in the consumer bank? What should his strategy be for wholesale banking, which seemed to have been on pause for the last few years?

Learning Objective

To understand and use the Porter Five Forces model for industry and competitor analysis, especially in the context of the banking industry. To understand and use the resource based view of competitive advantage, especially in the context of the banking industry.

Keywords
Retail Banking, Banking, Industry Analysis, Competitor Analysis, Strategic Resources, Global Banking Strategy, Financial Institution, Transformation
Settings
Asia Pacific, Malaysia
CIMB, Finance and Insurance, Financial Services
2008-2015
Type
Published Sources
Copyright
© 2015
Available Languages
English
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This case study is part of a series
  • The transformation of the CIMB Group (A)
  • The transformation of the CIMB Group (B)
This case study is part of a series
  • The transformation of the CIMB Group (A)
  • The transformation of the CIMB Group (B)
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The transformation of the CIMB Group (A)
By Margaret Cording and Pallivathukkal Cherian Abraham
Case reference: IMD-7-1679 ©2015
Summary
By January 2008, CIMB Group had undergone a major transformation over a period of three years. The acquisition of Southern Bank had transformed it ...
Reference IMD-7-1679
Copyright ©2015
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Organization CIMB
Industry Finance and Insurance, Financial Services
Available Languages English
Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

The transformation of the CIMB Group (B)
By Margaret Cording and Pallivathukkal Cherian Abraham
Case reference: IMD-7-1680 ©2015
Summary
CIMB Group transformed into a universal bank from 2005 to 2007, and restructuring had improved its efficiency. This brought significant improvement...
Reference IMD-7-1680
Copyright ©2015
Copyright owner IMD Copyright
Organization CIMB
Industry Finance and Insurance, Financial Services
Available Languages English
Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications