Pacific Exchange
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Pacific Exchange Best of 2019
Which issues important to banking in Asia and the Pacific Rim caught our readers’ eyes in 2019? Let’s take a look at the five most popular Pacific Exchange Blog posts from the year.
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Rethinking Asia: 5 Trends in Finance and Economics
The San Francisco Fed’s Country Analysis Unit recently wrapped the third season of the Pacific Exchanges podcast. Here are five of the most noteworthy trends in Asian finance and economics we explored in this season’s Rethinking Asia series.
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Will Internet-Only Banks Be A Game Changer for Taiwan?
Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission recently approved three licenses for internet-only banks, the first time new banking licenses have been issued since the 1990s. This blog explores potential ramifications associated with the decision. Internet-only banks are well positioned to bring two important potential benefits: expanded access to credit and banking sector innovation. Nonetheless, their entrance will likely bring even more competition in Taiwan’s already saturated banking market.
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Implications of Asia’s Gender Gap in Financial Inclusion
Across the world, women face a variety of hurdles to reaching their full economic potential. Challenges associated with educational and financial access, structural economic factors, and culture can all pose impediments to women’s economic participation. This blog reviews women’s access to the financial services as well as the decision-making that enable them to prosper in economic terms.
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Can Korea Move Beyond Government-Backed Small Business Lending?
Korea has some of the most supportive policies for startups and small businesses, including an abundant supply of government-backed loans, due to their role as an employment engine. Support for small businesses is poised to remain strong as the country undergoes a strategic shift toward inclusive and innovation led growth. However, critics point to data suggesting government programs enable poor performance among companies. In response, policymakers have introduced measures to diversify financing, increase the role of capital markets, and improve productivity.
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India’s Non-banks Emerge from the Shadows
Discussion of shadow banking in Asia is often dominated by developments in China, but India’s non-banking financial companies are gaining increasing attention as among the fastest growing in the world. Meanwhile, the bankruptcy of a large Indian NBFC in 2018 has put the sector under media scrutiny. Despite increasing risks to growth, India’s NBFC sector is still on track to expand at a rapid pace as it plays an important role in the financial system.
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Gender View: Female Entrepreneurship in Asia
An estimated 163 million female entrepreneurs across the globe are running their own business. While economies in Asia have relatively high levels of gender parity compared to other regions, women’s entrepreneurial participation still lags behind men. The local business ecosystem, cultural perceptions, and women’s advancement opportunities all play a role in encouraging women’s entrepreneurial pursuits.
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Falling Female Labor Force Participation in China and India
In most countries, women’s participation in the labor force has steadily improved over the past several decades. However, in the world’s two most populous economies—China and India—female labor force participation rates have been declining. This blog takes a close look at factors underlying this development, the potential impacts on economic performance, and public policy options that can help slow or reverse the trend.
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Why Do Japanese Households Hold So Much Cash?
Japanese households are well known for their preference for cash, which represents the majority of their financial assets. While Japan’s economic and financial history explain part of this behavior, broader structural and cultural factors are also at play.
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A Q&A Session by the Asia Program on Quora
The Country Analysis Unit (CAU) hosted a Quora session on Financial and Economic Development in late 2018. Quora users posed a variety of questions to the CAU team and then voted for those they most wanted to see answered. We have summarized and linked to a number of the most popular questions and answers in this blog.