The challenges are significant when 85% of the population is unbanked and the country has no capital markets. The acting governor of Da Afghanistan Bank outlines his plans to build from the ground up, promote financial inclusion, and learn from countries like Cambodia.
China's Belt and Road Initiative exacerbates debt risks for poorer nations with weak governance but it is unfair to paint China as a loan shark, US think tanks say.
Policies announced at the National People's Congress in Beijing will boost bond issuance in China. They promise to open up the world's third largest bond market even further.
The Shanghai-London scheme expected to launch this year could help local Chinese investors turn their portfolios into more global ones with less regulatory and forex risk.
China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan could all have new central bank chiefs within months. The newcomers, or the incumbents if they stay, all face important policy challenges.