Finance sector development

  • Promotional poster of the series, produced with cofinancing from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction.

    TV drama promotes financial education in Mongolia

    By Enerelt Enkhbold on Friday, 26 February 2016

    An ADB-funded soap opera became hugely popular on Mongolian TV in 2015 – and helped change people’s financial behavior.

  • Power lines in Karnataka, India.

    Yes, we need a dedicated bond guarantee fund for Indian infrastructure

    By Donald Lambert on Thursday, 07 January 2016

    To leverage more infrastructure development funds, India should establish a specialized institution dedicated to credit-enhancing corporate bonds.

  • Skyscrapers in Singapore's central business district.

    Derivatives 'key' to future for Asia bond markets

    By Noritaka Akamatsu on Tuesday, 29 December 2015

    A few Southeast Asian countries need to make investing easier for foreigners to deepen their local currency bond markets.

  • A local bank branch in Bangkok, Thailand.

    Working with Latin American banks to boost South-South trade

    By Steven Beck on Monday, 14 December 2015

    The inclusion of an Argentine bank in ADB's Trade Finance Program is an important step toward realizing the potential for trade between Asia and Latin America.

  • Seamstresses working for a small garment-making business in Indonesia.

    4 ways to boost SME access to finance from commercial banks in ASEAN

    By Ganeshan Wignaraja on Friday, 02 October 2015

    To avoid heavy-handed state intervention in small businesses, we need to think of new ways to make it easier for SMEs to obtain credit from commercial banks in ASEAN economies.

  • A worker helping construct a port in India.

    First bond issue under guarantee facility can be a boon for Indian infrastructure

    By Donald Lambert, Siddhartha Shah on Wednesday, 23 September 2015

    The first bond issue under a project bond guarantee facility set up in 2012 by ADB and IIFCL is a landmark achievement for Indian infrastructure development, as credit enhancement can help draw in money from insurance companies and pension funds.

  • A vendor displays her merchandise at a market in Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia.

    Let’s scale up, vary access to SME finance to boost Asia’s growth, cross-border trade

    By Stephen P. Groff on Monday, 21 September 2015

    We need to make the best possible use of all financial instruments in our national and regional tool boxes so SMEs in Asia can continue driving national economies, providing jobs, and becoming globally competitive.

  • A busy road near the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand.

    Two new reports help ASEAN+3 move steadily toward integrated bond markets

    By Satoru Yamadera on Wednesday, 02 September 2015

    The reports provide a practical framework and regional visions for further harmonization of bond markets in the region, expected to reap huge rewards for borrowers and investors.

  • A woman with a wagonload of harvested crops in Guangdong, PRC.

    Bringing financial services to the PRC’s poor will boost poverty reduction

    By Seung-Min Lee on Thursday, 20 August 2015

    The PRC has achieved remarkable economic growth, but serious imbalances between regions and areas remain. The government is aiming to bridge these gaps by developing inclusive finance tools.

  • In recent years, Malaysia, Singapore, and Pakistan have experienced rapid credit growth that brought their debt-to-GDP ratio close to the threshold that defines a credit boom.

    Has Asia's debt risen too quickly?

    By Thiam Hee Ng on Wednesday, 13 May 2015

    Debt has ballooned in developing Asia following the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, supported by plentiful global liquidity. With the US Federal Reserve about to raise interest rates, data from the Asian Development Outlook 2015 gives a clearer picture about the possibility of a credit slowdown in the region.

  • Islamic finance has enormous potential for delivering much-needed financial services to Muslims who wish to exclude themselves from the formal financial system due to their beliefs.

    How Islamic finance is supporting a more inclusive Asia

    By ADB Blog Team on Monday, 04 May 2015

    ADB and the Islamic Financial Services Board launched today a new publication about how Islamic finance can contribute to sustainable growth in Asia. Here are a few highlights.

  • The joint ADB-IMF panel discussion featured the participation of ADB President Takehiko Nakao and Mitsuhiro Furusawa, IMF Deputy Managing Director.

    Financial sector reform for sustaining Asia’s growth: 8 takeaways

    By ADB Blog Team on Saturday, 02 May 2015

    As developing Asia looks to continue boasting robust economic growth in the future, experts at a joint ADB-IMF seminar during ADB’s Annual Meeting in Baku discussed how the region’s financial sector needs to transform itself to deliver stable, inclusive, long-term results.

  • Toshi Masuoka

    How to scale up inclusive business in Asia and the Pacific

    By ADB Blog Team on Tuesday, 21 April 2015

    What can ADB learn from IFC’s experience promoting inclusive business,  and what are the main challenges and opportunities in the region?

  • A foreign laborer works on a construction project in Singapore.

    How to channel migrant remittances to deliver growth

    By Mayumi Ozaki on Friday, 17 April 2015

    Migrant remittances, a lifeline for many developing countries in Asia and the Pacific, have grown dramatically with barely any support by the public sector or donor agencies. A recent ADB forum discussed how governments can make better use of this money to create domestic job opportunities.

  • Since financial development does not necessarily reduce inequality, inclusive growth calls for concerted government efforts to strengthen financial inclusion.

    How to finance stable, inclusive growth in Asia

    By Donghyun Park on Wednesday, 25 March 2015

    The Asian Development Outlook 2015 highlights how developing Asia’s financial development still lags the advanced economies by a wide margin despite good progress. What can we do to bridge that gap, and also ensure ensure the region’s financial sector grows in a stable, inclusive way?

  • An ADB-supported microfinance institution in Uzbekistan.

    3 ways to serve Asia and the Pacific’s 'unbanked'

    By Stephen P. Groff on Monday, 09 March 2015

    To ensure ongoing economic growth in Asia and for the poorest to have a chance to benefit from the region’s growing prosperity, we must prioritize bringing financial services readily and cheaply to the “unbanked”.

  • Pantawid Pamilya: Money for nothing?

    By Karin Schelzig on Thursday, 19 February 2015

    More than 4.4 million poor Filipino families receive regular cash grants from the government to help them make ends meet.  But they aren’t getting money for nothing—there is a catch: families only get the cash if their children go to school and get regular health check-ups, and if the parents go to family development sessions every month. 

  • South Asian migrant laborers working on a construction project in Singapore.

    Countries and migrant workers pay high price for the benefits of remittances

    By Mayumi Ozaki on Thursday, 05 February 2015

    Every year, millions of people cross borders to work abroad. People migrate for various reasons, but for the majority of migrant workers, they are compelled by poverty and lack of job opportunities in their home countries.

  • Five bond market trends to watch out for in 2015

    By Thiam Hee Ng on Monday, 19 January 2015

    As 2015 gathers pace, the world seems to be entering a more uncertain and unpredictable phase. With the end of quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve, we are entering an era of tighter global liquidity.

  • Ten steps toward achieving universal health coverage

    By Susann Roth on Friday, 19 December 2014

    When ADB recently hosted a conference on using information and communication technology (ICT) in universal health coverage, it was vital not to miss the opportunity to pin down practical steps that participants could commit to taking in their own workplace. The conference culminated in the iCTen Steps: practical next steps with both quick wins and some longer-term goals that can be adapted to specific country settings, regardless of where they are on the road to universal health coverage.

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