ASEAN banks feel fee earnings pinch amid choppy markets

SINGAPORE — A number of banks within the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations are grappling with a squeeze in fee earnings, latest reports show, as choppy markets hold some investors back — hitting lenders’ noninterest incomes.

Financial institutions in Singapore and Thailand have witnessed a drag in their wealth management units, even as an elevated interest-rate environment helps banks generate beefier margins from lending activities.