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Cambodia should be about to enter one of the richest periods in its war-torn history as the government plans to develop offshore oil and natural gas deposits. But the path from poverty is lined with pitfalls like corruption and the dreaded 'resource curse'. Anne Hyland eyes the well of possibilities and finds one international bank that has tapped into the country's potential.

Singapore's MobileOne is looking to build on its successes and branch into new areas, writes Chris Wright.

Italian Sardegna island and regione of Italy, second in size only to Sicily among the islands of the western Mediterranean. It lies 120 miles (200 km) west of the mainland of Italy, 7.5 miles (12 km) south of the neighbouring French island of Corsica, and 120 miles (200 km) north of the coast of Africa. The capital is Cagliari.

Italian Sardegna island and regione of Italy, second in size only to Sicily among the islands of the western Mediterranean. It lies 120 miles (200 km) west of the mainland of Italy, 7.5 miles (12 km) south of the neighbouring French island of Corsica, and 120 miles (200 km) north of the coast of Africa. The capital is Cagliari.

Vietnam is on the cusp of joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), with membership set to be ratified ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) leaders meeting, to be held in Hanoi in November. The accession offers the country a host of financial opportunities to raise exports and underpin an already impressive level of GDP growth. But is the country truly ready to throw open its doors? The country's financial and capital markets remain relatively unsophisticated and will need to develop further if they are to take full advantage of the changes to come. Asiamoney, in association with ANZ, sits down with a set of experts and market observers to discuss their thoughts on the opportunities and challenges ahead for investors and businesses in Vietnam.

China has long cast fear over its closest trading partners; from the early 20th century Western concerns of cheap Chinese labour, through to the country's current positioning as would-be peaceable economic hegemon. This dread has only grown among its neighbours as Beijing, now flush with cash and short of resources, seeks to snap up anything within its reach. Take Mongolia, a nation of 2.5 million nomads nestled above China. For decades it operated as a sort of Chinese vassal state, to the point where Beijing now accounts for more than 50% of bilateral trade. Chinese state corporates and traders are muscling in, extracting energy and metals, and shipping out tax-free cashmere.

Senior treasury and financial executives from across Asia-Pacific responded in record numbers to this year's Asiamoney FX Poll. We received more than 1,000 responses from 940 institutions, a 10% increase from 2005. Noticeably, the response rate from financial institutions rose almost 35% to 229, from 170 the previous year, while representatives from 711 corporates also contributed to this year's results.

The May 2006, stock market sell-off raised concerns about the sustainability of India's financial market up-trend. The sell-off was in part due to concerns regarding the widening fiscal deficits, rising interest rates and the reduced appetite of global investors to digest the risk.

Bumi cancels giant coal-mine sale while government plans to auction off 33 new oil exploration blocks. GDP picks up in the second quarter, but World Bank seeks loan refund after road-project corruption.

Indonesia's small and medium-sized enterprise sector constitutes 60% of its business employment, but companies are finding their desire to grow stifled by their inability to access funds, writes Nick Parsons.

The high price of oil and a backlash against increasing levels of pollution is leading investors and companies to seek out cleaner, renewable forms of energy. Already an investment phenomenon in Europe and the United States, it's a sector with huge growth potential in Asia too, writes Richard Morrow.

It's a busy time for the Islamic scholars that banks hire to ensure their Islamic products comply with shariah law. But with a skill-set hard to replicate, there are few scholars capable of providing such advice. Chris Wright tracks down the most influential scholars in the Islamic financial industry and discusses with them their work load, conflicts of interest and how much they charge for their knowledge.