Category: Asia-Pacific Financial Markets Insights
The Asia-Pacific Circle publishes timely Asia-Pacific Financial Markets Insights and Thought Leadership, in good business intelligence. This page regroups all the thinking and food for thought published by our expert contributors in relation to regional financial developments.
Are you looking for a precise topic? Have a look at our contributors’ thoughts on Fintechs and regional financial regulation. Make sure to read our insights on Hong Kong financial developments as well as our experts’ commentaries on China’s financial trends!
Are you looking for a bigger picture on regional developments? From Financial Markets to trade diplomacy and geopolitics, The Asia-Pacific Circle connects the dots in good business intelligence. [Read out Asia-Pacific Insights and Thought Leadership].
Read our Asia-Pacific Financial Markets Insights:
In this Asia-Pacific Insight, new technologies expert Warwick Pearmund provides a snapshot of the Hong Kong Consumer payments industry for the year 2019. Pearmund's analysis shows an important competition between major actors. "Whilst Hong Kong may lag in mobile payments adoption versus China", he writes, the growth of mobile solution versus cash and card, will increase at pace.
In this India insight, Economist Vivien Massot analyses the reelection of PM Modi. "The reelection of N. Modi for 5 years has come with a surprise absolute majority of the ruling BJP", he writes, while adding that "higher external uncertainties (slowdowns in US and China, global oil prices) make it harder to project Indian medium-term outlook".
In this Asia-Pacific Insight, Fintech & transformation expert Nick Grenham explores recent developments related to open banking, virtual banks, Open API policy and financial inclusion in Hong Kong. While Hong Kong has made significant efforts lately to further develop its fintech policy framework, indeed questions remain as to whether recent initiatives will have enough teeth to change the lives of the many who still have limited access to finance in one of Asia's major financial cities. Open banking won't bring financial inclusion to Hong Kong, Grenham writes, unless...
Is there a currency manipulation policy in China? Christophe Granier analyses recent trends relating to CNY valuation. The CNY traded at its lowest level against the US Dollar in ten years, which raised currency manipulation concerns in the United States. In doing so, Mr. Granier writes, the US made a confusion between causes and consequences.
In this Insight, John Barclay and Teresa Tan (Primasia) comment on the recent enhancement of Hong Kong's Anti-Money Laundering (AML) framework. Following an initiative from the very international Financial Action Task Force (FAFT), Hong Kong has set up licensing requirements which will impact businesses. The question is how? Keep reading for more.
In this Asia Financial Insight, Jack Chia and Antoine Martin comment on the recent release by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of a framework on the regulation of virtual Assets. Understand, cryptocurrencies and related investments. The initiative goes in the right direction, they conclude, and might help position Hong Kong as a moving-forward financial place. Considering the complexity currently surrounding Digital Assets and cryptos, indeed, regulating portfolio managers and fund distributors could bring certainty and trust to the market. The challenge, however, will consist in building a framework applicable to crypto exchanges, which remain the unregulated actor in the industry.
In this financial markets Insight, Cryptology Managing Director Jack Chia provides some food for thought on what the recent ups and downs in the global ICO and crypto market mean. Jack sees two important trends here: the rise of Security Tokens Offerings (STOs) and the arrival of new Blockchain applications capable of bringing a large number of companies into a new era of business. His point of view is clear, however: current ICO and crypto developments lead to one conclusion: Blockchain projects developed as Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) will have to do much better from now on.
In this Asia-Pacific Insight, Daniil Danchenko and Bitnewstoday.com explore the influence of South Korean technology on the cryptocurrencies market. While Asia as a whole plays a major leadership role when it comes to crypto and blockchain development, insights on which parts of Asia are the most productive and forward-moving have a weight. In the author's opinions, in fact, South Korea is a real leader in the field, to the extent that if there are innovations to be found out there, South Korean technology is most likely to be involved. And the reason for this is clear: the Koreans know that they need to keep innovating if they want to stay …
On July 18th, 2018, the HKMA released its Open API Framework as a means to promote the development of Hong Kong's Fintech, banking and financial services industry. The initiative has been commented widely, and the idea that new applications will now be made available is often used as a conclusion. In this Asia-Pacific financial insight, Antoine Martin goes through the HKMA's Open API Framework document to explain its ins and outs. After a careful analysis of the document, he concludes that the stakes are much higher than mere flexibility. Especially considering the regulatory and financial burden to be imposed on banks.
Asia-Pacific Financial Markets Insights: Antoine Martin analyses the recent release of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's (HKMA) Revised Guideline on Authorization of Virtual Banks. Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial places, yet the city's banking offer is limited for many. This move by the HKMA creates a significant new potential from a financial services perspective, but there is more. The Revised Virtual Banks Guideline has several objectives. First, opening access to financial services to non-banks. Second, solving a market deficiency which so far has left many citizens un-banked. Third, pushing Hong Kong's Fintech policy a little further. Keep reading for more.
In this Asia-Pacific financial Insight, Antoine Martin analyzes recent regional cryptocurrency developments and asks why governments seem so keen on developing their own sovereign digital currencies lately. He concludes that, somehow, the original spirit of cryptocurrencies - avoiding state interference - is being distorted by a variety of initiatives aimed at creating sovereign digital currencies.
In this Asia-Pacific financial insight, Antoine Martin comments on recent moves against Bitcoins, Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and crypto exchanges by China's financial authorities. From speculation controls to ambitious political projects, the relationship between China, Bitcoins and cryptocurrencies in general is complex. This Insight aims at bringing some clarity to the debate.
Asia-Pacific Fintech Insights: In may 2017 the FSDC released a Report named The Future of Fintech in Hong Kong as a means to help promoting the development of Hong Kong Fintech industry. The report has been commented widely, but it was mainly interpreted as pointing to the limits of Hong Kong's Fintech policy. In reality, however, this document is more like a business plan and roadmap on, as its title suggests, the future of Fintechs in Hong Kong. Hence, it deserves more attention.
Financial Markets: Antoine Martin comments on the introduction of Chinese companies into MSCI's Emerging Markets Index after three consecutive years of rejection
Asia-Pacific Financial Insights: The Hong Kong – China Bond Connect has recently made the headlines following a public announcement in March 2017 by Mainland China’s Premier that further fixed-income markets links would be established across borders. Would the news help reinforcing China’s and Hong Kong’s financial positions in the Asia-Pacific and globally? In this Hong Kong and China markets insight, Pascal Charlot and Antoine Martin analyze the recent developments and explain their financial relevance.
Argentina recently made the headlines because its recent move towards settling its severe debt-repayment crisis has given it a long-lost and most welcome access to international capital markets. But what does it mean in terms of business environment
Middle-East countries – particularly the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) – have long made the headlines for dominating the world’s oil & gas markets. But the political economy of the region is shifting because of various factors
Monetary Policy: Antoine Martin comments on recent monetary talks involving IMF Director Christine Lagarde and Central Bank Governor Kuroda regarding capital controls in China
