The strategy update for ANZ held on Friday didn't cover a lot of new ground about the bank's endeavours in international markets, nor did it divulge any data on an aspect of the business that remains chronically under-examined.The only definite new piece of data is the confirmation of a new "aspirational" target, for 2017, for the bank to hit. ANZ updated its three-year-old target, which was to earn 20 per cent of its profits from its Asian operations. On Friday, the bank expressed its new target as seeking to earn between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of profits from revenue sourced not only from Asia but from the broader business segment "APEA".That is, the profit target relates to its European and American businesses as well as Asia, which is how ANZ manages (and reports) its offshore businesses in any event.Followers of ANZ will have to wait for its half-year profit report, at the end of April, to glean more recent data on Asian earnings' progress. This may be more comparable than that published five months ago.ANZ's profit from Asia, or APEA, in the 2010 financial year was equal to 14 per cent of group earnings.Reaching the 25 per cent to 30 per cent profit target will depend on organic growth (which is well underway, and in part thanks to the fast rising  staff numbers and balance-sheet allocation to the Singapore office) as well as acquisition.While ANZ has bought some Asian regional banking businesses over the last two years (from Royal Bank of Scotland), it has been beaten to bigger prizes in Hong Kong and South Korea by Chinese and Korean buyers.The bank's CEO, Mike Smith, remains optimistic about the prospect of more assets coming up for sale from European banks, however."I don't think the market is healing itself in Europe," Smith said. "Look at the European banks and their need for capital because of Basel III."There are still the sovereign debt issues that have not been marked to market in their books. "The banks are going to have to take a haircut. They are going to have to sell some of the family silver. "They may not want to, but they are going to have to."Smith also told the briefing that ANZ would aim to earn a return on equity of 20 per cent, which is above the long term average for the banking industry in Australia.