Singapore is the world’s third highest ranked International Finance Centre, according to The Banker’s 2010 ranking. But in these days of volatile capital flows and worries about bank safety, how should a small country manage itself as an IFC so as to maximise the benefits and minimise the risk?
Despite continued economic uncertainty in developed markets, emerging-market financial centres are growing in strength, with expanding foreign exchange markets and inward portfolio investment. However, when it comes to asset management, it could take generations for even the largest ascendant financial centres to catch up with their more established rivals. Writer Charles Piggott