ASEAN

ASEAN is set to declare itself a common market at the end of 2015, in a move that will create new opportunities for investors in a region the boasts not only some of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but also an expanding middle class. Current estimates for the combines GDP of ASEAN nations have been put at around $2.3trn, with this figure set to rise to $10trn by 2030. Economic growth in the region over the past 10 years has progressed at about 7.5% per year. With Brunei Darussalam taking on the ASEAN chair in 2013 at a crucial moment for the 10-member organisation, the country with a population just a fraction of the size of most of the region’s capitals will need to marshal all of its skills in diplomacy and negotiation to ensure that member states advance further down the road to economic integration.