Finance sector development

Shaping Asia’s fintech future

By Arup Kumar Chatterjee on Tuesday, 07 November 2017

For Asia to assume global leadership in fintech, collaboration between governments and industry players is vital.
Financing agriculture value chains in the digital age

By Shigehiro Shinozaki on Monday, 30 October 2017

Digital finance allows smallholder farmers to access high-value markets and technology, and reduce the cost of doing business.
How can digital finance better serve Asia’s poor?

By Shigehiro Shinozaki on Wednesday, 25 October 2017

Mobile money, enabled by data connectivity, can be a game-changer for the unbanked poor in developing Asia.
How blockchain can revolutionize access to finance

By Lotte Schou-Zibell on Friday, 29 September 2017

Blockchain is transforming financial transactions – with far-reaching implications for the unbanked.
How securitization can unlock infrastructure financing in India

By Jennifer Romero-Torres on Tuesday, 13 June 2017

Securitization of infrastructure assets can help India tap alternative sources to fill its long-term debt gap.
Can venture capital fill the SME finance gap in Sri Lanka?

By Donald Lambert on Tuesday, 23 May 2017

If investors are not keen on local SMEs, venture capital firms will struggle to find the exit door.
Are infrastructure bonds the next big thing in infrastructure financing?

By Donghyun Park, Shu Tian on Tuesday, 02 May 2017

The region’s infrastructure bond market is still at a nascent stage.
Demonetization brought out the best in Indian microfinance clients

By Sabine Spohn on Friday, 28 April 2017

Events unfolded quite differently to expectations, and showed the poor's resilience.
Microfinance institutions must enhance client protection to better serve clients

By Shigehiro Shinozaki on Wednesday, 14 December 2016

Microfinance institutions must ensure that clients are treated in a fair and transparent manner, and are able to fulfill their debt.
A global ID system that could revolutionize finance

By Steven Beck on Thursday, 01 December 2016

GLEIF will be a critically important contribution to help realize many of the current developments in fintech, and to spur more growth in cross-border trade.
Exercise equity market: A financing model to vitalize SMEs

By Shigehiro Shinozaki on Tuesday, 29 November 2016

Let's create a market mechanism that incubates 'smaller but growing' firms that will eventually tap the exchange market.
Internet-only banks to change financial landscape in Korea, and beyond

By Sung Su Kim on Monday, 31 October 2016

The entry of fully digitalized banks can help improve financial services, and support the emergence of innovative financial solutions to benefit MSMEs in developing Asia.
Digital finance successes, failures provide lessons for microfinance

By Kelly Hattel on Wednesday, 28 September 2016

If issues of trust, affordability, and reliability are addressed, digital financial services can help extend financial services to all.
Direct benefit transfer – a game-changer for financial inclusion in India

By Rishi Gupta on Monday, 26 September 2016

With the right technology, $60 billion in welfare payments can be seamlessly and directly credited into the bank accounts of all beneficiaries in India.
What drives Asian bond yields? Inflation, both CPI and PPI

By Donghyun Park on Wednesday, 06 July 2016

Our empirical evidence for 9 Asian economies indicates that both CPI and PPI inflation have a direct effect on bond yields, although each matter differently depending on the country.
Microloans start flowing to quake-affected families in Nepal

By Mayumi Ozaki on Wednesday, 29 June 2016

Microfinance provides post-disaster relief and support quickly, reduces the cost of recovery financing, reduces aid dependency, and builds long-term resilience.
Asia could use diaspora bonds to finance development

By Mayumi Ozaki on Friday, 27 May 2016

The success of these financial instruments in India and Nigeria shows that patriotic ties can be a powerful incentive for diaspora members to invest in their home countries.
Microfinance in PNG – as easy as banking from a vegetable garden

By Sally Shute-Trembath on Wednesday, 25 May 2016

An ADB-supported project has made a significant positive impact toward achieving financial inclusion for people living in remote areas of Papua New Guinea.
Why the sandbox approach works for fintech development

By Arup Kumar Chatterjee on Tuesday, 24 May 2016

Enabling new digital financial services models requires an open-minded approach to innovation, with sufficient certainty over the legal framework.
Fintech is the game-changer for financial inclusion in Asia

By Lotte Schou-Zibell on Friday, 20 May 2016

Innovations in ICT and the emergence of new fintech players are accelerating financial inclusion much more rapidly than at any other time in history.