Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in Asian economies, including Japan. But they find it difficult to borrow funds from banks, as do start-up businesses. Hometown investment trust funds, established a decade ago in Japan, enable small companies to receive funding from investors who purchase their products in advance. This source of funding has consequently helped SMEs to stay afloat. The same approach to funding micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises has been adopted in Cambodia, Viet Nam, and Peru. These were some of the comments made by ADBI Dean Yoshino at a recent OECD Forum. Watch webcast.

Governments in Asia seek to expand the coverage of their national health-care systems despite fiscal sustainability constraints. Advanced economies are faced with aging populations and developing countries with inadequate infrastructure. ADBI, IMF, and the Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance, Japan co-organized a 2-day forum on 6–7 June in Tokyo aimed at tackling these issues. Discussion centered on aligning social benefits with economic growth and various strategies to improve social spending. Japanese Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs Masatsugu Asakawa gave the opening statement, and ADBI Dean Naoyuki Yoshino and IMF Deputy Managing Director Mitsuhiro Furusawa gave opening addresses. Read more.

ADBI research on the Sustainable Development Goals, project finance, gender equality, and green energy was presented at the Fourth Asia Think Tank Summit, held on 8–10 June 2016 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The conference brought together 116 academics, policy makers, and think tank members from 27 countries to discuss how think tanks can catalyze policy analysis and implementation. ADBI co-organized the event in collaboration with three Republic of Korea think tanks—Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, Korea Development Institute, and Korea Institute for International Economic Policy—as well as its partner, Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP), University of Pennsylvania. The summit set the stage for further collaboration between ADBI and global think tanks. ADBI Dean Naoyuki Yoshino, ADBI Deputy Dean Bokhwan Yu, and ADBI Economist Naoko Nemoto made contributions. Read more.

Intra- and interregional connectivity in East Asia
Will the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) help accelerate the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) process by liberalizing trade and investment in East Asia? How is the People’s Republic of China’s focus on “one belt, one road” compatible with the goals of the RCEP and the Trans-Pacific Partnership? How are AIIB’s objectives different from ADB's? These are some of the questions answered by a panel that included ADBI Dean Naoyuki Yoshino at the 11th Jeju Forum for Peace & Prosperity.

ADBI Dean and staff speak at IFABS event in Barcelona
The International Finance and Banking Society (IFABS) conference provides a forum for discussion and critical analysis of financial and banking challenges and eases networking among academics, policy makers, research students, and practitioners. This year’s conference looked at globalization, financial and economic integration, financial crises, and the rapid changes in the global economic environment that have changed perceptions of risk. ADBI Dean Naoyuki Yoshino discussed financing of small and medium-sized enterprises in Asia, and Senior Research Consultant Peter Morgan spoke on mortgage lending in Asia. Read more.

Water security and climate change
The importance of capacity building for integrated water resources management and climate change mitigation was highlighted by ADBI Deputy Dean Bokhwan Yu at a workshop on 14–16 June in Bangkok. The event was jointly organized with the Network of Asian River Basin Organizations and the Thailand Department of Water Resources. The discussion focused on the financial, social, and environmental aspects of improving water resources management to promote water security and sustainable development in the region. Read more.

• Good Jobs for Inclusive Growth in Central and West Asia
  1 July; Tokyo, Japan
• Urbanization and Quality of Life in Asia: Linkages, Impacts, and Challenges
  6-8 July; Alicante, Spain
• Financial Development and Financial Inclusion at the Fourth Seminar on Asia and Pacific Economies
  8-9 July; Suzhou, PRC
• 5th OECD–AMRO–ADB–ADBI–ERIA Asian Regional Roundtable: Macroeconomic and Structural Policy Challenges
  14-15 July; Tokyo, Japan
• Inclusive Growth for Enhanced Resilience in Pacific Island Countries
  18-19 July; Suva, Fiji
• Regional Integration and its Impact on Growth and Income Distribution
  22 July; Tokyo, Japan
• Sources of Income Inequality in Asia
  26-27 July; Tokyo, Japan
• Global Shocks and the New Global and Regional Financial Architecture
  23-24 August; Singapore
• Aging in Asia
  15-16 November; Kitakyushu, Japan

>> More ADBI events

• The Implications of Negative Interest Rates for Emerging Asia
• Developing Credit Databases and Credit Scoring for Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Promoting Start- Up Businesses
• Aging in Asia
• Global and Regional Financial Architecture and Global Shocks
• Structural Transformation and Inclusive Growth

>> More calls for papers

• Research Associate(s)

• Spillover effects of quantitative easing on the Asian credit market and policy options
• The pattern of capital flows into Asia in the last decade
• US tips WTO into deep waters
• The effect of push/pull factors on the distribution of capital flows into Asia

>> More posts

• Trade Finance Gaps and Economic Development

>> More videos

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Monitoring Regional Economic Integration in Asia

Regional economic integration is a process in which two or more countries agree to eliminate economic barriers, with the end goal of enhancing productivity and achieving greater economic interdependence. Read policy brief.

The Development Dimension of E-Commerce in Asia: Opportunities and Challenges

E-commerce lowers barriers to entry by eliminating certain costs related to having a physical storefront. It connects the supply side to the demand side without the traditional physical limitations and without certain transaction costs. Read policy brief.

Impact of Infrastructure Investment on Tax: Estimating Spillover Effects of the Kyushu High-Speed Rail Line in Japan on Regional Tax Revenue

Infrastructure investment impacts tax revenues and the regional economy as evidenced by the effect of the Kyushu high-speed rail line (shinkansen train) in Japan. Download and read.

Divergence of Human Capital in Cities in the People's Republic of China: Exploring Complementarities and Spatial Agglomeration of the Workforce with Various Skills

Complementarity between a low-skilled and a high-skilled workforce can promote and improve labor productivity in the cities in the People's Republic of China. Download and read.

The Impact of Finance on the Performance of Thai Manufacturing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Access to financing is an important factor in the performance of Thai manufacturing small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs). This study sheds light on SME financing and its performance in Thailand. Download and read.

Does Internal and External Research and Development Affect Innovation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises? Evidence from India and Pakistan

This study investigates the impact of internal and external research and development on the innovation performance of SMEs in India and Pakistan. Download and read.

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