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Malaysia’s leading lenders Maybank and CIMB have both signalled their intention to acquire RHB. Their fight to do so could kick off the country’s last round of bank consolidation.

The South-east nation is enjoying strong economic growth and better macroeconomic fundamentals, in large part because of its consumer-led economy. But inflation, investment and infrastructure remain challenges, and it needs to improve on them all to keep progressing. Chris Wright reports.

The Australian government is reversing its years-long opposition to covered bond issues, and is set to allow their creation. The bonds would help local banks source much-needed funding, although they will need to coax investors to buy them. Ben Power reports.

Hanoi has earned applause for finally tackling escalating inflation, but it needs to bring this new boldness to bear in the country’s listless capital markets if its grand infrastructure designs are to succeed.

NEW YORK - There’s no shortage of market issues surrounding the implementation of Dodd-Frank Act. Among them is operational changes expected of interdealer brokers looking to register as swap execution facilities. Brokers have raised several red flags with American regulators, but have yet to find the clarity they desire. Perhaps the biggest issue yet to be resolved pertains to permissible methods of execution for cleared, non-block transactions.

HONG KONG - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s speech earlier this week calling for globally harmonized derivatives regulations in order to avoid a “race to the bottom,” drew strong negative reactions in Asia.

Imagine you wanted to know something about top flight English football. Perhaps the name of every team’s home ground? Number of away wins? Captains since the 1960s?

LONDON - Following a discussion of the proposed tie-up between NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Börse at IDX 2011 this week, Nicolas Bertrand, head of equity and derivatives markets at the London Stock Exchange, made the fairly innocuous comment that the size of exchanges should be considered as a possible roadblock to competition.

Africa looks poised to gain the upper hand in its negotiations over the investment and trade deals with China that are so central to the continent’s growth model

The US Treasury has called on China to bring its business dealings in Africa into line with international standards

The US bank has become the latest foreign lender to sign an investment banking joint venture in China, inking a deal with Orient Securities. Citi will pick two out of five board members, expects regulatory approval before the year is out and plans to go live next year, according to sources.

CHICAGO- There has always been a tension in emerging markets between economic growth and the sense that unfettered capital—particularly from overseas—will somehow ravage the local unsophisticates. That tension has been playing out recently in India and China as the two are essentially dormant in credit derivatives.