The Ministry of Finance announced yesterday the appointment of Financial Supervisory Commission Vice Chairwoman Susan Chang (張秀蓮) as chairwoman of the state-run Taiwan Financial Holding Co (臺灣金控) and Bank of Taiwan (臺灣銀行).
With a master’s degree in economics, Chang, 60, will replace Tsai Jer-shyong (蔡哲雄) as head of the two 100 percent government-owned financial institutions, starting on Monday, the ministry said.
The government launched Taiwan Financial Holding on Jan. 2 after combining the Bank of Taiwan, the Land Bank of Taiwan (士地銀行), the Export-Import Bank of the Republic of China (中國輸出入銀行), the BankTaiwan Life Insurance Co (臺銀人壽保險) and a Bank of Taiwan brokerage unit to create the nation’s largest financial service provider by assets.
Last month, the government said it would maintain the independence of the Export-Import Bank and prevent it joining the holding company. Taiwan Financial is Asia’s 18th largest bank and the 91st biggest in the world, ministry figures showed.
The ministry said yesterday that Peter Lo (羅澤成), the Bank of Taiwan’s incumbent president, would retain his post and double as acting president of Taiwan Financial. Lo, 61, has a master’s degree in economics from Chinese Culture University. His appointment will also take effect on Monday, the ministry said.
Land Bank of Taiwan (士地銀行) chairman Wu Fan-chi (吳繁治) will leave his post as acting president at Taiwan Financial, the ministry said.
The ministry has approved the appointment of a central bank official to head the government-owned Central Deposit Insurance Corp (CDIC, 中央存保).
Fred Chen (陳上程), director general of the central bank’s department of financial inspection, has been appointed CDIC chairman, the ministry said.
ELECTRONICS BOOST: A predicted surge in exports would likely be driven by ICT products, exports of which have soared 84.7 percent from a year earlier, DBS said DBS Bank Ltd (星展銀行) yesterday raised its GDP growth forecast for Taiwan this year to 4 percent from 3 percent, citing robust demand for artificial intelligence (AI)-related exports and accelerated shipment activity, which are expected to offset potential headwinds from US tariffs. “Our GDP growth forecast for 2025 is revised up to 4 percent from 3 percent to reflect front-loaded exports and strong AI demand,” Singapore-based DBS senior economist Ma Tieying (馬鐵英) said in an online briefing. Taiwan’s second-quarter performance beat expectations, with GDP growth likely surpassing 5 percent, driven by a 34.1 percent year-on-year increase in exports, Ma said, citing government
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‘REMARKABLE SHOWING’: The economy likely grew 5 percent in the first half of the year, although it would likely taper off significantly, TIER economist Gordon Sun said The Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) yesterday raised Taiwan’s GDP growth forecast for this year to 3.02 percent, citing robust export-driven expansion in the first half that is likely to give way to a notable slowdown later in the year as the front-loading of global shipments fades. The revised projection marks an upward adjustment of 0.11 percentage points from April’s estimate, driven by a surge in exports and corporate inventory buildup ahead of possible US tariff hikes, TIER economist Gordon Sun (孫明德) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s economy likely grew more than 5 percent in the first six months