India is set to make a triumphant return to the centre of the global economic stage, following the 60th anniversary of the country’s independence from British rule celebrated last week. 
     
Assetz marked this occasion by announcing the launch of its new India division, hailing 2007 as the ‘year of India’. Their new offerings include investment opportunities for both Indian nationals and those who are not of Indian origin, through a series of individual properties and Real Estate funds.

Spurred on by its young working demographic and economically active population, India’s extensive IT and outsourcing industries are just part of the increasing demand for real estate. An additional 10billion square foot of housing is expected to be required over the next five years, to cater for new residents moving into Indian cities, with a further 400million square foot of new office space also expected to be needed in the next eight years.

The average price for an entry-level investment in one of India’s emerging cities is about £30,000 for a 1,250 square foot two bedroom flat. Assetz currently has projects under way throughout the country, ranging from £15k homes to £1million golfing villas, initially focussing on residential apartments and high-yield tenanted commercial units. Several schemes are already available off-plan.

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited has received approval from the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) to establish a bank in rural China.

HSBC is the largest international bank in ChinaHSBC, the largest international bank in China, will operate in one of the designated rural areas in China's pilot programme for rural Banking through a new wholly-owned entity, HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited. It will be based in Central China in the Cengdu County of Suizhou City in Hubei Province. The area is about 6,900 square kilometres in size and has a population of 2 million people, with a significant agricultural sector and the Cengdu County of Suizhou City has a rapidly developing rural economy.

Much has been written about the prospects for the BRIC economies. Brazil, Russia, India and China are widely tipped to emerge as the economic powerhouses of the 21st century, contributing more to world economic output than the current members of the group of six industrialised nations (France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US) by 2039. 
     
Though these countries offer exciting opportunities, investors attracted by the prospects for these countries should also consider another country which offers excellent prospects for growth and according to Barings Asset Management, that country is Korea.

Hyung Jin Lee, manager of the Baring Korea Trust, said: As the largest shipbuilder in the world, Korea has seen a surge in orders from the Middle-East and other sources, but it is not just its shipbuilding industry that is seeing such high demand. The rapid development of real estate in Dubai and elsewhere in the region has fuelled demand for Korean engineering and construction expertise, as well as high quality technology and services. This means Korea is making just what the world needs. In our view, petrodollar wealth, particularly from the Middle-East,has been the driver of this increase in demand for Korean construction, engineering and shipbuilding expertise, helping the Korean economy to be less dependent on the US for economic growth.