Asia-Pacific

ROUNDUP   By Aaron Chaze   Strong sales: Mahindra & Mahindra’s popular SUV In the face of rising inflation and GDP growth, India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India surprised observers with a higher-than-expected interest rate hike. The RBI ...

VIETNAM   By Thomas Clouse   Clinton: Comments on marine conflicts upset China Vietnam and the United States participated in joint military exercises last month for the first time since the war between the two countries ended 35 years ago. The ...

Global Finance names the World's Safest Banks 2010 in Asia   NEW YORK, August 30, 2010 — Global Finance magazine (www.gfmag.com) has named the top 10 "Safest Banks in Asia" in an exclusive survey to be published in the October ...

Global Finance names the World's Best Internet Banks in Asia 2010 NEW YORK, July 26, 2010 – Global Finance has announced the First Round winners in the "World's Best Internet Banks" competition in Asia. This is the 11th year Global ...

NEWSMAKERS: PAKISTAN   By Nick Kochan   Key player: Former central banker, Syed Salim Raza When a struggling Royal Bank of Scotland asked for bids last year for its 79-branch network in Pakistan—acquired as part of ABN AMRO in 2007—it had ...

NEWSMAKERS: JAPAN   By Thomas Clouse   Naoto Kan: Redefining government's strategy Japan elected its fifth prime minister in four years in June, with the lower house of parliament selecting finance minister Naoto Kan to take over leadership of the ...

Emerging Markets Investor: News   By Gordon Platt   The People’s Bank of China last month announced that it would allow the renminbi to trade more flexibly, bringing an end to the currency’s two-year-old peg to the dollar. While any ...

ROUNDUP   By Thomas Clouse   China is making its currency exchange rate more flexible, the central bank announced on June 19, loosening the Chinese renminbi’s 23-month-long peg to the US dollar. The announcement came after China’s trade surplus rose ...

ROUNDUP   By Aaron Chaze   Faced with a daunting budget deficit, the Indian government has decided to risk a painful backlash by India’s poor and eliminate price controls on gasoline. The government also cut subsidies on diesel, LPG and ...

NEWSMAKERS: PHILIPPINES   Philippines Chooses Corruption Fighter For President   By Thomas Clouse   Aquino: Promises to investigate previous election results Benigno Aquino III will become the next president of the Philippines, after his pledges to fight corruption and reduce ...

Roundup   By Thomas Clouse   Expo frenzy: Shanghai expects 70 million visitors China's consumer prices rose by the greatest margin in 18 months in April, while property prices increased by the fastest rate since the country began publishing the ...

Roundup   By Aaron Chaze   Desperate: India needs to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure The Indian government is planning to establish an $11 billion infrastructure debt fund with the objective of investing in the power sector and in roads ...

FOCUS: ISLAMIC FINANCE IN ASIA   A centralized approach to Islamic finance is helping Asia develop an industry that may challenge the Middle East as the global hub.   By Anita Hawser   The Middle East is often thought of ...

Malaysia   By Thomas Clouse   Najib Abdul Razak aims to boost Malaysia’s growth Malaysian prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has unveiled a new economic blueprint as part of his long-term strategy to transform Malaysia from a middle-income to a ...

Roundup   By Thomas Clouse   Capital idea: Investors can now buy futures China's economy grew by 11.9% in the first quarter of the year, its fastest rate in three years, as retail sales jumped 17.9% and fixed asset investment ...

Kyrgyz Republic   By Simon Watkins   Kurmanbek Bakiyev After a week of defying a provisional government that seized power in an armed uprising that left at least 84 people dead, the Kyrgyz Republic's ousted president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, resigned and ...

Roundup   By Aaron Chaze   Reliable growth: India’s largest company expands its reach Reliance Industries, India's largest company by market value and owner of both India's largest gas field and the world's largest crude-refining complex, has successfully acquired a ...

ASIA   By Anita Hawser   REGIONAL WINNER : HSBC As regional and foreign banks look to Asia to grow their business beyond their domestic markets, competition is heating up in the region. Traditionally a strong provider across 20 or ...

Roundup   By Aaron Chaze   Calling plan: Bharti Airtel is expanding into new markets As the Indian wireless markets become ever more competitive, local companies are looking overseas for potential growth. South Asia’s largest wireless carrier, Bharti Airtel, for ...

Roundup   By Thomas Clouse   Brighter future: China promises better deal for rural citizens China’s top legislator has pledged to improve social services and better balance rural and urban political representation. Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of ...