The transformation of the CIMB Group (B)
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?
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.
CIMB, Finance and Insurance, Financial Services
2008-2015
Cranfield University
Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]
Harvard Business School Publishing
60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]
NUCB Business School
1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]
IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
- The transformation of the CIMB Group (A)
- The transformation of the CIMB Group (B)
- The transformation of the CIMB Group (A)
- The transformation of the CIMB Group (B)
Case reference: IMD-7-1679 ©2015
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Case reference: IMD-7-1680 ©2015
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
We show that a one-sided price-adjustment rule, with free price cuts but a fixed daily reset for price increases, raises the reset price even under risk neutrality, mean-zero wholesale cost shocks, and perfect consumer information. The mechanism i...
The “tragedy of the horizon” captures the gap between long-horizon climate damages and the shorter horizons of corporate decision-making. We provide a contracting account of this idea using a deliberately standard CARA-normal moral-hazard model. U...
The Bankamoda case looks at due diligence in the impact investing context. The protagonist, Estefanía Abello, is a Colombia-based senior associate at the Swiss AlphaMundi Group (AMG), an impact first but very commercially minded impact investor th...
Founded in 1920 as a modest trading house in the Arabian Gulf, Zamil Group has grown into one of the Middle East's most diversified business groups, with activities spanning manufacturing, petrochemicals, real estate and investments. As the portfo...
in Economic Letters September 2026, vol. 268, 113146, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2026.113146
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in Economic Letters September 2026, vol. 268, 113154, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2026.113154
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications