With the 10-nation Asean Economic Community going into effect this year, an International Monetary Fund working paper urged faster financial integration despite the consensus-driven deliberate regional “way” among the range of members at all income levels. Kleiman International, a Washington DC-based emerging markets consultant,  said in a blog post http://www.kleimaninternational.com/category/asia/ that the IMF applauded greater banking and capital market linkages since the late 1990s crisis, but noted in the paper that further financial services strides could offset the fallout from higher global interest rates and promote inclusion to reduce poverty.