Outlook 2021
Watch for more growth & volatility
28 January 2021
After a challenging 2020, it’s nice to kick off 2021 with some positive news. While many countries are still in varying stages of lockdown, global economic growth is well entrenched – which is promising.
At ANZ, we expect the countries we operate in to grow at a relatively strong rate compared with 2020. That opens up vast opportunities, in particular for the Asia-Pacific region.
But with these opportunities will come challenges. Low interest rates will remain a challenge for at least the next 12 months. We don't expect central banks to make any changes to the environment until we see the effects of the COVID-19 vaccine start to be felt.
And it looks like volatility - a persistent issue throughout 2020 - will continue in the new year, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
ANZ’s leading markets business positions us well to support our customers facing this continued volatility. We’re also investing in our systems, both digital and traditional, to provide clients with advice, data and insights.
Better
The economy is going to be better for everyone than it was in 2020, but there will be areas that remain under continued stress. At ANZ, we’re focused on assisting our customers that operate across a broad range of market segments.
Because we operate across such a broad range of markets and regions, we bring a unique perspective to help navigate the risks, opportunities and evolving supply chains which will emerge as the economy grows.
Outlook 2021
After an unprecedented 2020, the outlook for 2021 is a difficult one to pin down. The post-COVID landscape is one of rapid technological change, a transformational shakeup of global trading orthodoxy, and an increasing focus on sustainable business practices.
At ANZ Institutional, we aim to help our customers put themselves in the best possible position to take advantage of these forces. Our subject-matter experts have the insight to offer market-leading thought leadership in a range of complex areas from across more than 30 global markets.
We are asking our experts about the key factors they see shaping markets and industry in 2021 – and the opportunities and challenges within. We’ll be sharing the responses with you over the coming weeks.
The use of digital will continue to grow. At ANZ we’re seeing customers do a lot more business online. In response, one of the things we've been investing heavily in is our payments and cash management capability.
Finally, M&A activity is going to be a big factor in 2021. ANZ customers may look to expand or reshape their businesses in the New Year as they adjust their business models for a post-COVID normal.
ANZ’s advisory team is already working hard in this area and is gearing up to provide support to our customers in 2021.
Mark Whelan is GE, Institutional at ANZ
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