Myanmar’s central bank has opened up the local market to international payment companies such as Visa and MasterCard. But how will they help modernise the payments sector and drive financial inclusion in this newly opened frontier market? Stefania Palma investigates.
Risk-averse institutional investors have historically shied away from large-scale infrastructure investments in emerging markets, but new collaborations with multilateral institutions are now tempting public and private institutions into such projects. Stefania Palma reports.
Having narrowly survived a financial crisis in 2011, Vietnam is rolling out reforms to tackle low capitalisation and high numbers of NPLs. But given that the country has yet to implement Basel II, will these reforms still leave the country's lenders playing catch-up? Stefania Palma reports.
Postal Savings Bank of China has thrown its doors open to global investors with a jumbo Hong Kong IPO. While the share price has not moved much since the deal closed, the Hong Kong listing offers long-term benefits to the lender, which is eyeing potential business overseas. Stefania Palma reports.
As Mongolia's economy slows, the chief executive of its stock market, Bolor Munkhsaikhan, tells Stefania Palma about efforts to deepen local capital markets to help hedge against a volatile currency and to diversify corporate borrowing away from bank loans.
While it appears likely that Mongolia will need another IMF bailout, hopes are high that the newly elected MPP government's austerity package could introduce the transparency and fiscal reforms necessary to stabilise the economy for good. Stefania Palma reports.
China's fintech industry has grown at a rapid pace, in some cases leaving established tech giants of the West behind. Having cracked the domestic banking market, top Chinese fintech firms are already eyeing insurance and looking beyond the country's borders to continue their rapid ascent. Stefania Palma reports.
Unprecedentedly, ICBC, China Construction Bank, Bank of China and Agricultural Bank of China are all in the top five banks by Tier 1 capital worldwide. But the good news does not end there for Chinese banks, with many putting in a strong performance further down the ranking.