After a five-year spell of growth, Laos's economy stalled a little in 2014. However, with an improving regulatory environment, the launch of the Asean Economic Community and an improving foreign investment outlook, the country can still look forward with some optimism.

Cross-border expansion has become a key source of growth for many of Thailand's banks, which are well positioned to take advantage of opportunities in neighbouring Myanmar and Laos, both of which are at the start of what is expected to be a huge banking growth curve. 

The governor of the Bank of Thailand, Prasarn Trairatvorakul, has seen the country's banking sector show remarkable resilience over the past few years. However, he is now looking for its lenders to expand their services into neighbouring countries, as well as offer more sophisticated products at home.

Thailand's government-controlled Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives has long been used as a tool for the country's government to grow and support the agriculture sector, and its success has seen the model replicated in Myanmar. 

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ's purchase of Thailand-based Bank of Ayudhya last year was indicative of the wealth of opportunities opening up in the south-east Asian economy.

Mired in the fallout of global financial crisis, Vietnam’s banking sector is now entering a new phase, with the government prioritising the restructuring of state-owned banks as it strives to tackle high NPL levels and stabilise the economy. 

After decades of underperformance while under military rule, Myanmar is heading for a period of rapid growth, but much work still needs to be done to address the country’s infrastructure deficits, poverty and its underdeveloped banking sector.