All Countries and All Sectors

Malaysia’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector appears to be one of the big winners in the state’s latest five-year development plan. The government is preparing to roll out new investments in the industry and looking to the private sector to make greater use of ICT as part of a programme aimed at radically overhauling the country’s economy.

After months of debate, the country’s House of Representatives and Senate passed a bill in late March establishing the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), a parastatal agency that will buy up NPLs from the country’s struggling banks in order to free up their balance sheets, restore investor confidence and make them attractive to capital or buyers.

The Bahamas’ tourism industry is showing signs of recovery from last year’s downturn, with arrivals numbers up in many of its islands. However, the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and Cuba’s possible emergence as a rival for the US market represent significant challenges.

Thailand is being urged to ease restrictions on foreign participation in the banking sector amid concern that its tight controls could see the country’s financial services industry fall behind major regional rivals.