Hydrocarbon resources account for more than 90% of exports and more than 50% of gross domestic product in Brunei. But, thanks to the country's historical surpluses and government's spending discipline, it has weathered the storm of falling oil prices relatively well, with local banks remaining in profit and even eyeing growth.
Nepal's finance minister lays out recovery plan
May 26, 2015Only one week after the first earthquake hit Nepal in April 2015, Ram Sharan Mahat, the country’s finance minister, met Stefania Palma to discuss the government's plan to meet Nepal's enormous reconstruction and rehabilitation needs.
Shaken but not stirred: Malaysia sustains oil price drop
April 30, 2015Global oil price volatility may be weighing heavily on Malaysia’s economy, but such events are not putting the country’s banking sector off its stride. Indeed, its lenders are increasingly looking to opportunities in the Asean region and Islamic banking to diversify their balance sheets.
DBS: how to expand in Asia
April 30, 2015The CEO of Singapore's DBS, Piyush Gupta, talks to Stefania Palma about the potential and pitfalls of building a franchise in Asia and how global banking regulation has become a challenge in itself.
China's new tech-savvy banks: how private lenders could threaten the status quo
April 1, 2015The banking licences being granted to private companies in China look set to shake up the country's financial sector, with its 'big four' lenders coming under pressure from tech-savvy newcomers with a strong customer network, such as Alibaba and Tencent.
Vietnam’s banks: revived and ready for the Asean Economic Community?
April 1, 2015Already on the way to recovery after a crisis in 2012, Vietnam’s banks now face further challenges in the shape of the increased competition that integration of the Asean Economic Community will bring about.
Land Bank of the Philippines gives finance a human face
March 2, 2015The Land Bank of the Philippines is working with small farmers and fishermen to promote inclusive growth and improve their quality of life, in even the most devastating of situations.
Why the Philippines is Asean's land of opportunity
March 2, 2015A steady, sustainable growth story; an underbanked population; a key player in the Asean region; solid financial regulation; an embracing of PPPs to tackle huge infrastructure needs; and a nascent asset management industry. The Philippines is awash with opportunity for lenders, but who will take advantage?
Philippines CBG: unconventional and effective
February 23, 2015Amando Tetangco, the governor of the Philippines' central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, talks to Stefania Palma about how in a post-financial crisis, globalised world, conventional central banking is no longer enough.
Turning optimism into productive growth in Indonesia
February 2, 2015Indonesia's banking sector holds much promise, thanks in large to the country's vast unbanked population. And with a new, business-friendly president in Joko Widodo, hopes are high that it can finally realise this vast potential.