The impending creation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community (AEC) is leading to a stampede by banks to set up in the region. Especially attractive are Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Vietnam, which have the least developed financial sectors. And it’s not just banks from outside the AEC that are joining the rush. Thailand has some of the most experienced banks in the region, and its major companies have plans to expand their operations into the less-developed partner countries in AEC. Bangkok Bank, Thailand’s largest, plans to expand into Burma, Laos and Cambodia.
