Search Results
Periodic Essay
Banking reform in Vietnam
Vietnams banking sector is expected to have one of the highest growth rates in Asia during the next few years due to the countrys continued economic expansion, rising household incomes, and relatively low penetration of existing banking services. Over the past two decades, the Vietnamese government has undertaken a series of reforms to strengthen and modernize the sector as part of the countrys move towards a more open and marketoriented economy. Many of these reforms have also been motivated by Vietnams growing participation in international agreements and ongoing efforts to adopt ...
Periodic Essay
Asian asset management companies in retrospect
In the decade since the Asian financial crisis, the vast majority of problem loans and other distressed assets have reached a point of resolution. Publicly sponsored asset management companies (AMCs) were an important agent in the resolution of non-performing loans (NPLs), particularly in the crisis-affected countries of Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea. Each country chose a different path, based on the philosophical positions of government sponsors regarding the relative power they chose to grant their respective AMCs, the merits of temporary versus permanent operating charters, ...
Periodic Essay
Financial system reform in Thailand
In 2004 Thailand began to implement the Financial Sector Master Plan (FSMP), a long-term reform program aimed at creating a more efficient, transparent, and internationally competitive financial sector that can serve a larger proportion of the Thai population. With the first phase of the FSMP completed in 2009, Thailand announced that a second phase of financial sector reforms will begin in 2010. This Asia Focus report provides an overview of the FSMPs development, highlights key reform measures completed under Phase I, and describes measures proposed under Phase II and some of the challenges ...
Periodic Essay
Taiwan’s banking sector reforms: retrospective and outlook
The Taiwanese banking system has evolved significantly since the government amended the Banking Law in 1989 to promote internationalization and liberalization of the banking sector. Private banks now play a significant role in the financial system and many state-owned banks have been partially privatized. Despite much progress, Taiwan?s banking sector is marked by low profitability and excessive competition that are potential threats to the long-term health and stability of the financial system. This Asia Focus outlines the history of financial and banking reforms in Taiwan, analyzes problems ...
Periodic Essay
The Changing Face of Shadow Banking in China
The growth of China?s nonbank financial institutions, which engage heavily in shadow banking , has been extraordinary over the past decade. During this period, China?s shadow banking system not only engaged in aggressive regulatory arbitrage but also started to embrace financial innovations and capital market financing against the backdrop of broad financial reforms. Its emergence and transformation are intertwined with a substantial increase in depth and complexity of China?s financial system, which post new regulatory challenges. The growing importance of shadow banking in China makes a ...
Periodic Essay
Foreign banks' new China strategy
Periodic Essay
The changing landscape: Asias role in global finance -- report on a FRBSF conference
The evolution of Asias role in global finance was the topic of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Franciscos conference held on June 18 and 19, 2008. This international conference attracted over 150 central bankers, bank regulators, commercial bankers and market participants from North America, Asia, and Europe. This Asia Focus report summarizes the major themes raised in the conference discussions, looking first at challenges facing Asian economies and financial markets, then examining the outlook and market trends in Asian financial centers, consumer banking, Islamic finance, and Chinas ...
Periodic Essay
Islamic finance: Malaysia's growing role
This Asia Focus report explores the topic of Islamic finance and highlights Malaysias role in developing the Islamic finance market.
Periodic Essay
Credit bureaus in Asia
Rising personal income levels and increasingly competitive lending markets have led to rapidly growing consumer credit in Asian economies during the past decade. However, in many cases this expansion of credit outstripped financial institutions ability to manage the associated increase in credit risk. The rising number of credit card defaults and subsequent personal bankruptcies in economies including South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in the early- to mid-2000s demonstrated the need for Asian lending institutions to employ more robust credit risk management tools. Credit bureaus, which ...