The US Federal Reserve raised interest rates three times in 2017, but the panic that some in the industry predicted would overtake Asia-Pacific’s emerging markets as a result did not materialise. Has the region finished insulating itself from market shocks? Stefania Palma reports.

Maldives minister of finance and treasury Ahmed Munawar tells Stefania Palma how the country hopes to diversify government debt, support public infrastructure mega-projects and engage with China under a new free-trade agreement.

While the Philipines enjoys a growing economy and stable finances, we do not underestimate the tough challenges of poverty, demographic change, technological advances and geopolitical risks. These can only be countered by looking outside the traditional solutions, says Nestor A Espenilla, Jr, the governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Vietnam’s banks are pushing into retail, buoyed by a young and growing population. How will competition between new, tech-savvy private lenders and the big four public sector banks play out? Peter Janssen reports.

China’s lenders have the largest slice of the Top 300 Asia-Pacific Banks ranking, while privately owned Indian banks and south-east Asian lenders show impressive Tier 1 capital growth and profitability. Stefania Palma reports.

Japan and India are joining forces to boost their commercial presence in Africa and counter China’s dominance. Will they be able to compete with the continent's top trading partner – and how is Beijing reacting to the new competition? Stefania Palma reports.

Under new chairman Rajnish Kumar, State Bank of India hopes to adjust the work-life balance so staff are in shape to help bring down bank's cost-to-income ratio. Brian Caplen reports.