Asian asset management companies in retrospect

In the decade since the Asian financial crisis, the vast majority of problem loans and other distressed assets have reached a point of resolution. Publicly sponsored asset management companies (AMCs) were an important agent in the resolution of non-performing loans (NPLs), particularly in the crisis-affected countries of Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea. Each country chose a different path, based on the philosophical positions of government sponsors regarding the relative power they chose to grant their respective AMCs, the merits of temporary versus permanent operating charters, and the desired speed of resolving problem assets. This Asia Focus provides a brief history of these AMCs, describes their asset purchase methods, and compares their resolution results and future prospects.