Insights
Asian jurisdictions jostle to become the region’s gold hub
Asia’s gold market is entering a decisive phase. As Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong advance their respective ambitions to become region’s gold hub, the greater opportunity may lie not in a single winner, but in a more connected Asian ecosystem that deepens liquidity, strengthens resilience, and builds institutional trust.
Hong Kong builds strategic case for a gold hub
Hong Kong’s gold hub could diversify the city’s financial sector beyond traditional banking and IPOs while helping Mainland China advance RMB internationalisation, reserve diversification and gold market infrastructure. Its success will depend on liquidity, transparency, cross-border interoperability and credible governance amid geopolitical and sanctions-related pressures.
Bhutan: seeking new balance
Grappling with economic and geopolitical challenges, Bhutan’s newly elected government is taking bold steps to pursue an updated framework – gross national happiness 2.0 – for revising the path to sustainable development.
China’s capital market enters a new phase
China’s stock market slump over the past three years has prompted its State Council to issue a directive in April to reform the markets with nine guidelines. The nation has reached an inflection point in its growth model and would require a shift to high-quality growth rather than absolute pace. The Chinese capital market is now entering a new phase.
Tokyo’s global ambition
Japan has been making concerted efforts to position Tokyo as a preeminent international financial centre over the past six years, and implemented a range of measures to woo the international investment community. The recent surge of foreign investments into its stock markets, supported by favourable macroeconomic conditions, has boosted Tokyo’s ambition.
New Zealand punches above its weight
New Zealand’s asset management industry has been punching above its weight in collaboration with the government despite its remote geographical location and its small population of just over five million. One of its firms recently became the first to be approved to distribute funds across borders under the Asia Region Funds Passport scheme.
Asia Region Funds Passport: a long way to go
More than a decade on, the opportunities behind the Asia Region Funds Passport remain an aspiration.