Former Maybank CEO and Malaysia's incumbent minister of financial affairs, Abdul Wahid Omar, talks to Stefania Palma about Malaysia’s decades-long quest for high-income status, describing how he is looking to achieve this goal while ensuring that the country's population feels the benefits of its economic rise.

With heavy state involvement and the occasional scandal, China’s trade finance sector may not be perfect. But significant change is under way as government policies facilitate growth and diversification in the country’s industry and financial sector. 

The Greater Mekong Delta sub-region of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam has been posting stellar growth figures in recent years, and looks set to continue this trend. However, each country within the region has its own social, political and economic hurdles to overcome. Stefania Palma reports.