The former governor of Malaysia’s central bank underlines the need to build resilience to manage future shocks to the global financial system, highlighting Asia’s comprehensive policy response after the 1997 financial crisis.

Maybank’s president and CEO, Abdul Farid Alias, tells Stefania Palma how the lender is refining asset and liability management in its home market of Malaysia while growing in south-east Asian markets such as Indonesia.

The CEO of Malaysia’s Performance Management and Delivery Unit, more commonly known as Pemandu, tells Stefania Palma how his decision to avoid a high-leverage economic model is benefiting the country.

After a turbulent 2015, faith in Asia’s economies was strong at the Asian Development Bank annual meeting in Frankfurt, despite falling exchange rates and capital outflows. Stefania Palma reports.

Vietnam is on its way to becoming a heavyweight presence in south-east Asia, with the top ranking for asset growth, while Indonesia retains its crown as the most profitable country in the region.  

Watching the success of its Asian counterparts acted as the catalyst for Malaysia to rethink its economy, reducing its dependence on natural resources and putting greater faith in the private sector, all while reducing government spending and keeping debt to a manageable level. The country's minister without portfolio, Idris Jala, describes the plan's progress. 

Drops in oil prices have undeniably affected Malaysia’s economy. But minister of financial affairs Wahid Omar tells Stefania Palma how this was also a blessing to a country that is successfully diversifying its economy and government revenue sources through reforms such as the introduction of a goods and services tax.

Global 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.