The Cross-Border Settlement Infrastructure Forum (CSIF), a forum under Task Force 4 of the Asian Bond Markets Initiative published the Common Understanding on Cross-Border Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Cybersecurity during the 21st ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Manila, the Philippines. The
objective of the publication is to create basic
common understandings among CSIF members.
The finance ministers and central bank governors
were pleased with the publication and noted that
the issues of BCP and cybersecurity are essential
for creating safe linkages among Central Securities
Depository–Real Time Gross Settlement
(CSD-RTGS) systems to ensure the resilience of
increasingly interconnected financial systems.

Emerging East Asia’s local currency government bond yield curves steepened between 29 December 2017 and 15 February 2018, reflecting the region’s positive economic outlook and expectations of rising inflation, according to the latest Asia Bond Monitor. The report also noted that the region’s overall LCY bond market continued to grow to reach USD12.3 trillion at the end of December.