House of the year, Malaysia - CIMB Group

It is always a formidable challenge to merge companies, but for Commerce International Merchant Bankers Berhad (CIMB), its integration with commercial banking giant Bumiputra-Commerce Bank Berhad (BCB), and subsequently Southern Bank Berhad (SBB), was a more gargantuan achievement than most.

First, there was the huge effort needed to merge an investment bank with two separate commercial banks, each