Dong He and Runchana Pongsaparn

THE WRITERS ARE FROM THE ASEAN+3 MACROECONOMIC RESEARCH OFFICE. DONG HE IS CHIEF ECONOMIST AND RUNCHANA PONGSAPARN IS GROUP HEAD FOR FINANCIAL SURVEILLANCE

Shoppers in Myeong-dong in Seoul. Tourists in the Asean+3 bloc (comprising Asean's 11 member states and China, Japan and South Korea) increasingly do not carry cash, nor do they need to change currency for their trips.

Asean+3 has made strong progress on cross-border payment connectivity, but more work lies ahead

2026-05-03T23:00:00.000Z