Blog Posts

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Pacific Exchange Blog covers issues important to banking in Asia and the Pacific Rim. Here’s a roundup of our five most popular posts of 2018.

From bitcoin trading behavior to opioid Rx side effects on disability claims, here’s a round-up of our most talked-about Economic Letter topics of 2018.

External imbalances are one factor that can compound a country’s ability to manage its foreign debts. Across Asia, current account surpluses and large stocks of foreign exchange reserves strengthen many countries’ ability to manage their external liabilities. Though several Asian economies face current account deficits or low reserve coverage, they continue to appear more resilient compared to the situations in Argentina and Turkey.

Our Salt Lake City branch’s solution to keeping cash shreds out of landfill? Use the shred residue for fuel consumption and as a component in cement.

Recent developments in Argentina and Turkey have sparked concerns that other emerging market economies could be sitting on simmering vulnerabilities. A direct comparison of the region’s foreign debt finds that overall risk and apparent vulnerabilities are more contained in Asia relative to Argentina and Turkey. However, there are certain exposures in a handful of Asian economies that warrant close monitoring going forward.

Countries around Asia are implementing laws and regulations to promote open banking to share data and enable third parties to provide products and services around a centralized platform. A move to open banking reflects the increasing digitization of Asia’s economy and the rise of technology platforms that envision a consolidated financial life for their customers. The impacts could be dramatic, increasing competition and promoting efficiency, integration, and inclusion, while also creating new risks.

The Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS) asks small business owners to detail their current business climate, financial needs and recent credit experiences. A new report from the SF Fed summarizes data at the state level for small businesses in California.

Several Asian regulators are amending existing rules to allow technology firms to own and run virtual banks, which will likely result in a number of new digital lenders. This has triggered debate and discussion about licensing requirements, risk management, and consumer protection.

A robust and growing body of literature points to the importance of pregnancy and early childhood as time periods that influence health, development, and long-term life chances. Less attention, however, has been paid to how housing instability during pregnancy and early childhood affects a person’s health over the long-term.

As they transform the payment systems in countries like China and India, Asia’s fintech giants are now setting their sights on cross-border remittances. Will the new entrants drive costs down in a region dependent on payments sent home by overseas workers? A number of traditional financial institutions and non-bank start-ups are already trying to solve the problem, which could help promote equitable, inclusive growth in developing Asia.