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.

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.

Nepal is grappling with interest rate and liquidity volatility as well as a relatively large banking sector that has 28 commercial banks. Chiranjibi Nepal, governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, tells Stefania Palma how the central bank is addressing these issues.

Nepal faces parliamentary and inaugural provincial elections at the end of 2017 while being tasked with setting up a new federal system. Ministry of finance officials tell Stefania Palma how the government is coping.

Nepal’s banks have survived two years of upheaval, contending with violent earthquakes and India’s border blockade. Today, the sector hopes to address more systemic issues such as overbanking, political instability and cyber security threats. Stefania Palma reports.

Technology is revolutionising trade finance while facilitating lending to small businesses by tech giants such as PayPal, Amazon and Alibaba. But is this enough to fill the $1500bn global trade finance gap? Stefania Palma investigates.