Mr Hedrick-Wong finds that among emerging economies, those that invest a bigger share of GDP tend to enjoy faster growth.

ECONOMIST: Economics focus

Even if credit histories and customer profiles became available overnight, many bank managers would not know what to do with this information, says Mr Hedrick-Wong.

ECONOMIST: Consumer finance in Asia

Young Asians, in particular, appear to have an open mind and they, not the older generation, are the target market, says Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Asian economist at MasterCard.

ECONOMIST: Consumer finance in Asia