Patrick Cooke, Oxford Business Group’s Managing Editor for the Middle East and Asia, talks with Jade Currie, Oxford Business Group’s Regional Editor for Asia, about standout opportunities to expand trade and investment relations between the Gulf and South-east Asia in the wake of the pandemic.
More than a year after the initial onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Gulf banking sector is seeing an increase in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), as lenders continue to deal with the economic fallout.
Indonesia’s economy experienced a milder slowdown in 2020 than its ASEAN-5 neighbours, according the IMF’s April 2021 World Economic Outlook, and also fared better than 16 other G20 members.
The coronavirus pandemic gave rise to a massive acceleration in the spread of digital payments and cryptocurrency. This in turn has prompted central banks around the world to trial central bank digital currencies, a digital form of hard currency that is based on blockchain, but backed and issued by a central bank.
Financial technology (fintech) is advancing rapidly in emerging markets and Morocco is no exception: the country has embraced its efficiency and low costs as a way to bolster financial inclusion and catalyse innovation across various sectors, with both the government and private firms deploying fintech tools for payments.
As companies look to shift towards more environmentally sustainable modes of operation, transition bonds are increasingly being seen as a key financial tool for those operating in fossil fuel or heavy-polluting sectors.
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