M D Nalapat
Clients
of banks based in the capitals of countries that are NATO members say
that service is excellent, so long as times are good. There are smiles
and parties, in all of which alcohol and charming company is present in
profusion. However, as soon as times turn bad, these Fair Weather
Friends change, and begin demanding the observance of conditions that
are designed to further push the enterprise into catastrophe. Unlike
banking institutions that have an Asian ethos, which step forward to the
rescue whenever business turns sour, and shows the patience and
understanding needed to conquer the crisis, the NATO-based financial
institutions look only at their own (narrow and short-term) interests,
and frequently convert a manageable crisis into a disaster by their
unsympathetic policies. Sadly, despite knowing this, several
business persons get lured by the superficial charm and seeming
efficiency of such organisations, and flock there in preference to Asian
entities, just as so many millions of consumers in Asia waste huge
amounts of savings in buying super-luxury brands from Europe (even those
where only the name is European, with even the label made in Asia. The
reason for this is the continuing inferiority complex of several High
Net Worth individuals who are secretly ashamed of being Asian, and
compensate by using only European brands, whether these be shoes,
clothes, cars or any other requirement of modern life.
