Malaysia's missed opportunity in equity derivatives

To mark Asia Risk's twentieth anniversary we are looking at why Malaysia moved from the vanguard to the slow lane of Asia's markets during the 1997 financial crisis

Faded glory: equity derivatives market in Malaysia has struggled

Asia's finance industry centres around four cities: Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. But this wasn't always the case, says a senior equity derivatives professional based in Hong Kong.

"Twenty years ago Kuala Lumpur was a thriving international centre. When I started out in banking, many of the old hands on the desk had begun their career in Malaysia. It's pretty staggering how much other cities in the region have caught up and surpassed it. How many companies have their pan-Asia