Representative Office for Asia and the Pacific

About the Asia Office

Since the BIS launched its first overseas presence in Hong Kong SAR in July 1998, the Representative Office for Asia and the Pacific (Asia Office) has served as a regional hub to promote monetary and financial stability in cooperation with central banks and other institutions in Asia and the Pacific. The Asia Office fulfils its mission by:

conducting BIS outreach and engagement activities, including high-level visits, conferences, forums, and networks for central banks and other relevant stakeholders on priority topics in monetary and financial stability
developing research on issues related to economics, financial markets and digital innovation, including a Secondment/Visiting Economist program for central banks in the region
providing central banks with a full suite of banking and risk management services, including treasury and investment products

The Asia Office anchors its work by serving as secretariat to the Asia Consultative Council (ACC), which provides advisory support for the BIS’s work in the region. The Asia Office is headed by Tao Zhang, Chief Representative, who is supported by a group of Hong Kong-based BIS staff.

Activities

Outreach and engagement

The Asia Office conducts engagement and outreach activities with central banks and other stakeholders in the region.

Research for the Asia-Pacific region

The Asia Office conducts policy analysis and research on topics related to monetary and financial stability, done in close collaboration with staff across the BIS globally as well as central banks and other stakeholders in the region.

BIS banking in Asia-Pacific

Since 2000, the Asia Office has served as a gateway for BIS banking customers' investment activities and provided customers with access to the full range of the Bank's financial services on a near 24-hour basis.

Asian Consultative Council (ACC)

The ACC was established in 2001 and currently comprises the Governors of 13 BIS member central banks in the region. The Asia Office supports the work of the ACC, including its interactions with the broader BIS community, as well as on strategic issues related to BIS activities and central bank cooperation and engagement.

The Chief Representative of the Asia Office, Tao Zhang, serves as the ACC Secretary.

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Tao Zhang

Chief Representative for Asia and the Pacific

Central bank secondments

Since June 2013, the Asia Office has offered a secondment/visiting economist programme for member central banks in the Asia-Pacific region to foster closer working relationships with BIS shareholding central banks. The programme is part of the BIS's general secondment programme offered to candidates from member central banks.

We offer secondment opportunities for visiting economists of central banks in the region to work in the Asia Office.

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